It's a great day for the Warriors, who have secured the services of Manu Vatuvei until the end of 2013 - possibly their most important signing since luring Steve Price and Ruben Wiki across the ditch back in 2004.
Manu was set to come off contract at the end of next year, and (understandably given his form over the past two years) it looked as though a few clubs were eyeing him up. Fortunately the Warriors have acted quickly, and have locked him up for the next three seasons - effectively making him a Warrior for life.
We all remember "that game" against Parramatta a few years ago, and for a while there it seemed like Manu was destined to be remembered for his inability to catch the ball. Well, now he is regarded as one of the best wingers in the game - testament to this is the fact he was selected for the All-Stars game at the beginning of the year.
He still has his moments when he drops the ball, but as far as wingers go they don't come much better than the Beast. He's fast, strong, and can fly under the high ball, and it's for these very reasons that the Warriors have kept him at Mt. Smart.
Add to that the signings of Feleti Mateo, Krisnan Inu and Steve Rapira, and the Warriors are making some good moves for next season. They have also extended the contracts of Michael Luck, Jeremy Latimore, Ukuma Ta'ai, Lewis Brown, Aaron Heremia, and Jacob Lillyman. Losing Brent Tate and Ian Henderson is gutting, but these signings are a step in the right direction for the club.
With all this now behind them, the boys can focus on winning their last two games against the Broncos and the Eels to secure a place in the finals series.
Photo credit - paddynapper
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