Cronulla Sharks youngster Chad Townsend signs for New Zealand Warriors

HALFBACK Chad Townsend will leave Cronulla at the end of the NRL season to join the Warriors on a two-year contract.

Warriors sign Shark Townsend

Half-back Chad Townsend will leave Cronulla at the end of the NRL season to join the Warriors on a two-year contract.

The 22-year-old former Junior Kangaroos captain had offers from other clubs before settling on a move to Auckland.

He says crossing the Tasman is a big decision given he's lived in the Cronulla area all his life.

But he wants to establish himself in the NRL and believes the Warriors offered him the best chance to do that.

Warriors coach Matthew Elliott says Townsend has all-round playmaking qualities and is also a goal-kicker.

Townsend made his NRL debut in 2011 and has appeared 16 times for the Sharks.

He is the second Cronulla player the Warriors have signed in the past month, with backrower Jayson Bukuya also joining the club in 2014 on a two-year deal.

The Warriors have also announced that half-back Harry Siejka has been granted an early release from his contract, effective immediately.

Siejka joined from Penrith before the start of the season but hasn't been able to get game time in the Warriors' first-grade side.