Warrington star back-rower Ben Murdoch-Masila is expected to sign with the New Zealand Warriors in the coming days from the 2021 NRL season, according to stuff.co.nz.
The report states that the 28-year old will honour the rest of his contract with Warrington and play out the remainder of the Super League season.
The former Wests Tigers and Penrith Panthers player has found a new lease of life in England after struggling with work ethic issues and playing time in 58 appearances in the NRL between 2010 and 2016.
Since signing for the Salford Red Devils in 2016 and subsequently signing for the Warrington Warriors in 2018, Murdoch-Masila has established himself as one of the premier forwards in Super League. He has also been instrumental in Tonga's rise as a force in international rugby league.
This signing leaves the Warriors with one roster spot to fill with less than six weeks until the start of the NRL season and could begin a period of significant change to the Warriors playing list.
Young hooker Wayne Egan is the only off-season signing for the Warriors while Lachlan Burr, Jackson Frei, Blake Green, Patrick Herbert, Gerard Beale, Peta Hiku, Adam Keighran, Sam Lisone, Leivaha Pulu, Nathaniel Roache, Taane Milne and Isaiah Papali'i are all out of contract at season's end.
With many of those names expected to move on, Murdoch-Masila might be one of many fresh faces to greet Warriors fans for 2021.
When I saw the heading “big name signing” I thought they ment a star player not a plodder with a big name.
So heโs 28 now and we will have to wait another year so we will get him at 29 just as heโs about to leave his prime and start playing crap.
Sounds familiar…… Adam Blair
Too many warriors
“Warrington Warriors” should be Warrington Wolves
what a trash signing for us , can’t lure any decent players across the ditch even if throwing big $$ at em , if they didn’t start with the warriors , NZ born players usually come back past there prime for big money , never gonna win a comp , won’t be wooden spooners but bloody close .. might as well be …
Souths junior๐๐๐๐๐
I’m waiting for the usual suspects to turn this into a ”hate Souths” story. From what I’ve seen of this guy he might be just what the Warriors need, a bit of starch in the forwards.
Well outsider tried to but his I believe he was brought to Australia via scholarship by West Tigers And played at Keebra park before playing in their NYC side. Nice try๐๐๐๐๐
I just donโt get the warriors recruitment strategy(if there is one). We either go for Australian Superstars who want nothing to do with moving to New Zealand and playing for the warriors or reserve grade players who know they will get game time because warriors have more faith in other teams reserve players then there own.
Iโll start of by saying this wouldnโt have been a bad signing 2 years ago as he was just hitting prime and was quite destructive, but now is just depressing news that not only do we sign big ben 2 years to late, we donโt even get him this year at all.
To think that JFH, Taukeiaho, Nikora, Glenn, Capewell, NAS, Kenny Bromwich, Fotuaika, Tapine and Tupouniua are all still or were available and we didnโt chase any of them and then follow it up buy signing Ben just show how bad the warriors are run as a organisation.
Whoever is making these decisions should be ashamed of themselves and should have no part in making decisions for a rugby league team. We finish 13th but we bring none of our best juniors up and sign a reserve grade hooker. Really bring me confidence that the warriors winning it this year
“Big name”? Well it’s true that it’s a long name but also it’s a name short on performance last time in NRL.
The warriors may not have a single premiership to their name.. but they are one
of the FEW teams that havenโt won a wooden spoon.. (broncos,dragons,tigers&sea eagles can boast
this record also)
The NRL need to adopt a similar cap structure to super league where 2 โmarqueeโ players arenโt included in the cap .. this would allow the warriors ( & some of the other struggling clubs) to pay OVERS OVERS to lure genuine top quality players from rugby union & Aussie/England.
Warriors need some better/bigger sponsors to offer TPAโs like the other powerhouse clubs.
Bit rough throwing Adam Blair under the bus swagga.. his days in the 2nd row were over @ the broncos then he signed warriors
& hasnโt played front row rotation since . Coach to blame there not the player ?
@Kiwi
Agreed he should of never found himself as an edge forward he is to slow Laterally in defence and make to many poor decisions. The real problem with Blair is signing him on over 2 mil over 3 years. What a ridiculous contract to throw someone already well past there prime. He should be barely be on 200 k considering his work rate and age, and should be not guarantee to be in the 17 but he is.
As for your above statement I disagree the difference from the best clubs and worst clubs isnโt money(even though it helps), its development. For example Iโll use the storm, I canโt think of a single player that the storm have signed that was considered a superstar before going there in the last 7ish years, the storm have developed these players into superstars.
the same can be said with roosters. Apart from Tedesco and Cronk the entire roosters team is either juniors or players who were not regular established nrl players but yet with superior coaching and recruiting/development they have become the best team in the nrl.
Everyone is pretty tough on Masila. Although heโs not the biggest name & may get to 29 before playing for the Warriors. I thought he was one of Penrithโs best , when they got to the Major Semi in 2024. Led way back then by Soward , I think? Penrith had lost a lot of players through injuries & he came into the first grade team.
Donโt know why, but he didnโt seem to get a fair go in first grade at Wests or Penrith
He also went well for Tonga .
Sorry.. of course it was supposed to say 2014 !
We are used to seeing burnt out NRL players heading to Super League for a paid holiday at the end of their careers so this is something different.
The games of super league I’ve caught masila has been a beast ask Gburgess he got steamed rolled by him if they got him for around the 350-400k mark good signing I’d be happy as a warriors supporter
Gold Coast bunny ๐๐๐๐ oh ya Reg, SSTID, Nero, puppy ๐๐๐๐๐๐ your a souffs junior
Iโd already corrected the error with the date, BrennanWood.
Youโre a bit late. Obviously you couldnโt figure out that Masila had already played for Penrith? Not from the story , or from what Iโd written in total. Ignorance is bliss when it comes to your mind.
Pity you donโt ever correct any of your multitude of mistakes?
Youโll have to be quicker next time Quick Draw McGraw. .
Hereโs a flag for your teams favourite country, as a second prize! ๐ซ๐ท
IMO Warriors and Dragons will fight it out for the spoon this year, last’s years duds should improve a fair bit like the Titans, Dogs, and Knights should be stronger too. Both dragons and warriors recruitment has been second rate and both have maintained dud coaches, hard to see much improvement. But I hope I’m wrong, I’d like to see both lift their game.
Nice to see the sp@stic Mental.Pain spewing his imbecilic tripe yet again in a non-r0rters thread.