NRL: Addin Fonua-Blake reportedly wants out of Warriors with shock request for immediate release

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Addin Fonua-Blake reportedly wants to leave the Warriors immediately and return to Sydney.

Following a year of highs, highlights, wins and a remarkable rebuild, the lowest moment of the Warriors season looks set to rock the club to its core in November, six weeks on from the last game.

The Warriors’ best player who isn’t named Shaun Johnson and arguably their best player all up, Addin Fonua-Blake, is reportedly requesting an immediate release to leave the club and return to Sydney on compassionate grounds to be close to his parents, Sydney’s Daily Telegraph has reported.

Fonua-Blake, reportedly the highest paid prop in the NRL, was selected in the NRL’s dream team of the season as one of two Dally M props of the year for the 2023 season, alongside Payne Haas.

The powerhouse prop has three years left on his Warriors contract that runs through until the end of the 2026 NRL season.

Stuff has sought comment from Fonua-Blake’s manager and the Warriors but have yet to hear back.

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Addin Fonua-Blake enjoyed the best year of his NRL career for the Warriors in 2023.

Fonua-Blake, who joined the Warriors in 2021 from his previous club Manly, is currently in the United Kingdom playing for Mate Ma’a Tonga on their tour of England.

The bombshell release request comes just days out from Fonua-Blake’s 28th birthday.

Johnson scooped all three of the major player gongs at the Warriors awards night but it was Fonua-Blake who consistently laid the platform for Johnson and his outside backs to flourish during a season where the Warriors went all the way to the Preliminary Final under rookie head coach Andrew Webster.

Many experts suggested Fonua-Blake was the best prop or middle forward in the NRL as the Warriors made a deep run into the finals.

Breakfast

Andrew Webster took out the top coaching honour at the NRL’s end-of-season awards ceremony.

The loss of Fonua-Blake would present the first big test for Webster and the club’s general manager of recruitment, development and pathways Andrew ‘Cappy’ McFadden, in terms of landing a big fish signing – following their sensational job of turning around what was a struggling club at the end of 2022.

The pair, alongside chief executive Cameron George, have signed the returning Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Chanel Harris-Tavita and extended star winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak but in the forwards have lost Josh Curran and now potentially Fonua-Blake.

Finding a like-for-like replacement for Fonua-Blake ahead of next season is almost an impossible task, but the Warriors will need to look outside of their existing squad for another middle-forward if they are to be a chance of maintaining their top four position of 2023.