Reigning player of the year Tohu Harris has given the Vodafone Warriors a huge boost on the eve of the 2021 NRL campaign by recommitting to the club until the end of the 2024 season.
The 29-year-old’s re-signing was announced to his teammates at their captain’s run this morning ahead of tomorrow’s season-opening encounter with Gold Coast at Central Coast Stadium in Gosford (3.00pm kick-off local time; 5.00pm NZT).
Retaining Tohu is hugely important for the team and the club as a whole
Cameron George Vodafone Warriors CEO
“Retaining Tohu is hugely important for the team and for the club as a whole,” said Vodafone Warriors CEO Cameron George.
“He’s our current player of the year and he’s a vital cog in our squad. This is a great boost for our club having an established squad leader committing to three more years at the Vodafone Warriors.”
Harris has now extended his time with the club to seven seasons after originally being signed on a four-year deal from the Melbourne Storm.
I love what's happening here at the moment
Tohu Harris Vodafone Warriors back rower
“I love what is happening here the moment,” he said.
“The staff and the players are gelling and it’s been a really enjoyable off season. Now I can’t wait for kick off tomorrow.
“We have some exciting kids coming through the system and I see a great future here in the coming years.
“The other leaders and I need to maintain the standards set so we can become a consistent top team in the NRL.”
New head coach Nathan Brown has Harris locked in at #13 following his successful switch from the second row to the middle last year.
Having watched Tohu over the years I couldn’t wait to coach him
Nathan Brown Vodafone Warriors head coach
“Having watched Tohu over the years I couldn’t wait to coach him,” said Brown.
“He is an elite player, one of the NRL’s top shelf forwards, with a work ethic and skill set second to none.
“Tohu has also been a great contributor helping the young players and providing invaluable experience to them in the early years of their careers.”
In being crowned the winner of the Simon Mannering Medal last year, Harris was the only player in the squad to appear in all 20 matches.
He featured prominently in a raft of key statistical categories. At the end of the regular season, he ranked fifth among all players for most post-contact metres (1339) and seventh for most metres gained (3465), an exceptional average of 173 metres a game, the fourth best among all forwards. He was also seventh for most tackles (845) – an average of 42 a game – and 10th for most runs (352).
TOHU HARRIS
Born: January 7, 1992
Birthplace: Hastings, NZ
Junior Club: Tamatea Sports Club
Position: Second Row/Lock/Prop
Height: 195cm
Weight: 112kg
Previous Clubs: Melbourne Storm (2013-17)
First Grade Debut: Melbourne Storm v St George Illawarra Dragons, AAMI Park, 10/03/2013 (Rd 1)
Club FG Debut: v South Sydney Rabbitohs, Optus Stadium, 10/03/2018 (Rd 1)
Vodafone Warriors No: 224
NRL Appearances: 167 appearances
Melbourne Storm: 117 appearances (2013-2017)
Vodafone Warriors: 50 appearances (2018-2020)
NRL Points: 108 (23 tries, 8 goals)
Melbourne Storm: 88 (18 tries, 8 goals)
Vodafone Warriors: 20 (5 tries)
Rep Honours: 16 Tests New Zealand (2013-16), Four Nations (2014, 2016), Māori All-Stars (2019)
