Roger Tuivasa-Sheck

Key points:

• Tuivasa-Sheck has signed a three-year deal with the Warriors
• He left the club late in the 2021 NRL season to switch to rugby union
• Tuivasa-Sheck has played three Tests for the All Blacks

Tuivasa-Sheck – who won the 2018 Dally M Medal with the Warriors – has signed a three-year contract with the New Zealand club.

He left the Warriors late in the 2021 NRL season after being granted an early release from his contract.

After 10 seasons in the NRL, the former Warriors captain had joined the Blues for the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season.

Tuivasa-Sheck played almost 200 matches in the NRL, captained the Warriors for five seasons and - in 2018 - was named the best player in rugby league's best competition.

But despite months back on the rugby union training paddock, he wasn't quite feeling like a rugby player again just yet.

"I keep telling myself it's not until I lace up and run out in the colours that it's going to feel official.

The home side played much of the game with only one healthy interchange player after Joe Tapine (ankle), Ryan James and Sebastian Kris (both head injury assessments) were ruled out.

And they still found some energy to try to steal the victory when Jordan Rapana was stretching out for the corner with only seconds left on the clock. Tuivasa-Sheck's reach was that little bit longer, knocking the ball from the winger's grasp.

The Warriors sign off their season on Sunday against the Manly Sea Eagles after missing out on the playoffs.

Tuivasa-Sheck described the eventual season in which the team were based away from home in New South Wales, lost their coach, had homesick team members leave and had the rules changed to allow them loan players as "interesting".

During all of the off-field chaos the 27-year-old fullback was commended for his leadership.

But he was quick to deflect the praise.

The Daily Telegraph reports Tuivasa-Sheck is weighing up his future at the Warriors with concerns around what next season could be like for the Auckland-based franchise on his mind.

The major concern is if the team would have to be based in Australia again like they have this season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has meant Tuivasa-Sheck has had to spend an extended amount of time away from his young family.

Tuivasa-Sheck scooped the prize, which is awarded to the best international player of the year, ahead of Tonga prop Siosiua Taukeiaho and New Zealand team-mate Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.

The 26-year-old returned from a 12-month international absence to help his country defeat Tonga 34-14 in the Oceania Cup Test and also featured in a 2-0 series triumph over Great Britain.

He also ran 167 metres and set up his team's only try in the 26-4 defeat to Australia.

Congratulations Roger pic.twitter.com/E4XNyVpvLg

Tuivasa-Sheck won the National Rugby League's prestigious Dally M player of the year award - the first time a Warriors' player has won the prize in the club's 24 year history.

RNZ asked New Zealand Rugby League why Tuivasa-Sheck was not nominated by them for the Halbergs and their initial repsonse was that as Tuivasa-Sheck was injured and didn't play for the Kiwis in 2018, he couldn't be nominated.

When it was pointed out an athlete didn't have to be playing for a national side to be nominated the NZRL then replied:

Tuivasa-Sheck polled 29 votes to win the league's player-of-the-season award by two points from Newcastle's Kalyn Ponga, with Cronulla's Valentine Holmes in third.

In a sign of the changing times, none of the top five - which also included Luke Brooks and Mitchell Pearce - have previously polled in the top five positions at the Dally Ms during their career.

The Warriors fullback trailed by one vote with a round to go, but polled three points in the final round against Canberra while Ponga remained on the sideline injured.

He becomes the inaugural winner of the Simon Mannering Medal, announced in honour of the retiring club legend who made his 300th NRL appearance on Friday night.

Tuivasa-Sheck is just the fourth player to win the supreme accolade more than once following five-times winner Simon Mannering and Steve Price and Ben Matulino, who were two-time winners.

The fullback also collected the People's Choice Award voted on by the public.

The skipper was a late scratching from last week's win over the Eels in Sydney as he stayed home with his fiancee Ashley Walker, who is due to give birth to their first child.

Halfback Shaun Johnson is still sidelined by an ankle injury, while Tuivasa-Sheck's return means Peta Hiku pushes out to the centres after filling in at fullback.

Gerard Beale drops to the bench.

Other than Tuivasa-Sheck coming back into the line-up there are no other changes in personnel among the 17 players used against the Eels although there are two positional swaps.