‘Clean break’: How bombshell NRL move was completed in 72 hours and why Panthers accepted it
In a stunning move, champion Penrith Panthers prop James Fisher-Harris has been released from the final two years of his contract to join the New Zealand Warriors.
Fisher-Harris, a New Zealand international, will join the Warriors in 2025 on a four-year contract.
The forward was granted permission to join the Warriors after asking a compassionate return to his home country to be closer to his family members.
On NRL360 on Wednesday night, The Daily Telegraph’s Michael Carayannis revealed how quickly he became a New Zealand player.
Fisher-Harris’ management reportedly contacted the Warriors’ CEO on Sunday night, prompting him to board a flight to finalize the agreement on Wednesday.
“We’ve seen this situation play out so many times where there’s a fallout between the club and the player, but that didn’t happen in this situation,” Carayannis said in a statement.
“It is a clean break; they have not requested a transfer money, a player swap, or anything else.
“They just said, James Fisher-Harris, thank you for your service, and best wishes… I believe James has been thinking about this for some weeks.
“He is very close to Stacey Jones, the Warriors’ assistant coach and Kiwis coach; he is also close to Andrew Webster.
“There’s no doubt that those guys have had informal discussions to gain a sense of the situation… but it only became formal on Sunday when Cameron George’s phone rang.
“He was told this was a possibility, and it happened so quickly that he traveled to Sydney today, met him for the first time, and signed the paperwork. Got back on an aircraft to Auckland; task completed.”
Fisher-Harris was allegedly at the top of the club’s transfer target list after Addin Fonua-Blake stated his desire to return to Sydney.
The Warriors then missed out on signing Sharks enforcer Braden Hamlin-Uele, allowing them to maintain the salary limit room for their star signing.
In a club statement following Fisher-Harris’ signing, George expressed his joy at gaining the services of the three-time NRL premiership winner.
Leave a Reply