The Vodafone Warriors have re-signed Ligi Sao until the end of the 2019 NRL season and secured Canberra fullback-wing Zac Santo for the rest of this season and next on a second-tier contract.
Sao (24) returned home last season after a three-year stint with Manly which netted 21 NRL appearances from 2013-15.
Used in an interchange capacity in seven games so far this season, Sao had an injury-hampered campaign with the Vodafone Warriors in 2016 which included his first NRL appearance for the club against Canterbury-Bankstown in Wellington.
Santo (24) made his NRL debut with North Queensland in 2014 and has been used twice at the first-grade level since joining the Raiders in 2016. A regular for Canberraโs feeder club the Mounties in the Intrust Super Premiership, he was named at fullback in the ISP team of the year last season.
โLigi has been a great acquisition for us, bringing his experience from Manly and helping to give us depth among our middle forwards,โ said Vodafone Warriors recruitment and development manager Tony Iro.
โWeโve been following Zac for a while and weโre excited he has become available in mid-season to give us more options in our outside backs.โ
Sao and Santo become team-mates at the Vodafone Warriors almost six years after they were opponents in the NYC grand final in 2011. Santo scored two tries for the Cowboys in a match which was level 30-30 after 80 minutes before Sao and his Vodafone Junior Warriors went on to take the title with a golden point extra-time field goal.
Townsville-born and raised Santo has featured in the NRL Nines tournament at Eden Park every year. He was in North Queenslandโs title-winning side in 2014 and again represented the Cowboys in 2015 while he was in Canberraโs line-up the last two years.
His only NRL appearance this year was at fullback in the Raidersโ season-opening clash against his old North Queensland side in Townsville.
Santo is due to begin training with the Vodafone Warriors tomorrow.
Warriors 2025 Player Movements
| 2025 Gains | |||||||||
| Tanah Boyd (Gold Coast Titans, 2026), Kahu Capper (Sydney Roosters, 2026), Erin Clark (Gold Coast Titans, 2027), Jett Cleary (Penrith Panthers, 2027), James Fisher-Harris (Penrith Panthers, 2028), Kalani Going (2025), Samuel Healey (Cronulla Sharks, 2027) | |||||||||
| 2025 Losses | |||||||||
| Addin Fonua-Blake (Cronulla Sharks), Shaun Johnson (retired), Marcelo Montoya (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs), Jazz Tevaga (Manly Sea Eagles), Setu Tu (Brisbane Tigers) | |||||||||
| Re-Signed | |||||||||
| Mitchell Barnett (2027), Rocco Berry (2026), Wayde Egan (2027), Jackson Ford (2027), Tohu Harris (2025), Chanel Harris-Tavita (2026), Jacob Laban (2026), Ali Leiataua (2027), Freddy Lussick (2026), Zyon Maiu'u (2026), Luke Metcalf (2026), Taine Tuaupiki (2026), Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (2027) | |||||||||
| Off Contract 2025 | |||||||||
| Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale, Tohu Harris, Edward Kosi, Te Maire Martin, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Adam Pompey, Dylan Walker | |||||||||
| Rumours | |||||||||
| |||||||||
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