‘The club is considering the request’: Addin Fonua-Blake could be heading back to Sydney after asking for immediate release

Sydney clubs are scrambling to sign Addin Fonua-Blake after the star forward told the Warriors he wanted to return to Australia immediately.

Addin Fonua-Blake could be heading back to Sydney. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

The Warriors have confirmed reports that Dally M Prop of the Year Addin Fonua-Blake has requested an immediate release from his contract on compassionate grounds.

Fonua-Blake still has three years left to run on his current deal but has told the club he wants to return to Sydney.

“The New Zealand Warriors have confirmed reports prop Addin Fonua-Blake has requested an immediate release from his contract on compassionate grounds,” the club wrote in a short statement on Thursday afternoon.

“Chief executive Cameron George said the club is considering the request.”

Addin Fonua-Blake has told the Warriors he wants a release from the final three years of his contract. Picture: Fiona Goodall/Getty Images

The 27-year-old is one of the most important players at the Warriors and is a key reason they returned to the finals this season and helped the New Zealand public fall in love again with the club.

He was the highest-paid prop forward in the NRL last season but his price tag won’t stop several clubs from going after him, with Dragons coach Shane Flanagan confirming he is interested in signing Fonua-Blake given he played his junior footy with the Red V.

The Bulldogs are also in desperate need of an elite middle forward having lost several big men.

Fonua-Blake finished the 2023 season with the most running metres among front-rowers, while he also scored nine tries and had 35 offloads.

The news is a bitter blow for the Warriors, who announced on Wednesday that try-scoring machine Dallin Watene-Zelezniak was staying with the club until the end of the 2025 season.

Dallin Watene-Zelezniak has signed a new deal that will keep him at the Warriors until 2025. Picture: Albert Perez/Getty Images

“What Dallin showed to everyone is how much it meant for him and his family being back in New Zealand,” Warriors coach Andrew Webster said.

“He stood out as one of the best wingers in the competition, if not the best.

“His yardage carries were unbelievable, while the tries, and the way he scored so many of them, were the icing on the cake.

“Not only that, his defence came a long way with how reliable he is, understanding where he’s got to be for the team to make the right decision.”