Dylan Walker has been granted an immediate release from the New Zealand Warriors, with the club confirming the decision was made on compassionate grounds to allow the veteran utility to return to Sydney.

The 30-year-old was in the second year of a three-year contract signed ahead of the 2023 season and had become a key figure in Andrew Webster's rotation, bringing versatility and experience off the bench and across the spine.

The Warriors were hopeful Walker would see out the year, but ultimately chose to support his personal circumstances.

It has since been confirmed by the Parramatta Eels that he will join the club on a two-year deal until the end of the 2026 NRL season.

โ€œWe were keen for Dylan to stay until the end of the season but we appreciate why he needs to return to Sydney,โ€ said Warriors CEO Cameron George.

โ€œWe've really enjoyed having him at our club and he has given us tremendous service. He goes with our support and best wishes.โ€

Walker finishes his Warriors stint with 46 appearances, the last of which came in the Round 3 win over the Roosters.

It caps off a productive chapter in Auckland for the 2017 Dally M Centre of the Year, who originally broke into the NRL as a teenage sensation at South Sydney before flourishing further during a 124-game tenure at Manly.

A product of Mascot Jets and Matraville Sports High, Walker represented the Australian Schoolboys in 2012, made his NRL debut the following year, and has since amassed 232 first-grade appearances across three clubs.

1 COMMENT

  1. โ€œThe 30-year-old was in the second year of a three-year contract โ€

    โ€ Walker will join the Parramatta Eels, effective immediatelyโ€

    So Parramatta has been negotiating with a contracted player, before the Nov 1 deadline ?

    Just want to get that clear.

    The Warriors really are sooks for the โ€œcompassionate groundsโ€ releases, arenโ€™t they ? Reece Walsh, Addin Fonua-Blake, that forward whose name I canโ€™t remember โ€“ who also got a big payout as well, and now Dylan Walker.

    The obvious thing to do is to write a clause into playersโ€™ employment contracts that says: โ€œif you want to leave on compassionate grounds, mid-way through a season, you can do so โ€“ as long as you repay all the money we have paid you since the previous November 1โ€