Centre Ali Leiataua has signed a new two-year contract keeping him at the One New Zealand Warriors until the end of the 2027 NRL season.

After making his debut and only first-grade appearance in 2023, the 21-year-old boosted his NRL career total to seven with six outings this year including three tries.

“Ali is a great example of a young player who has come through our pathways programme,” said One New Zealand Warriors general manager recruitment, pathways and development Andrew McFadden.

“He had a taste of first-grade football last year and furthered his experience this season. We see him as a key player in our future.”

As well his six NRL outings this year, Leiataua lifted his career tally of New South Wales Cup games to 26.

“Ali showed real improvement when he played for us at NRL level this year,” said One New Zealand Warriors head coach Andrew Webster.

“He was a real threat with his ball running and played with a lot of confidence, aggression and power. We saw that with the terrific run out of our own end that put us in a position to beat the Sharks in our last game of the season. We know he’ll get better with more time.”

A foundation player in the club’s first SG Ball Cup side in 2020, Leiataua provided strong numbers in his 2024 NRL campaign. Apart from his three tries including one in the famous win over Penrith, he averaged 126 metres a game while he had seven line breaks, two try assists and 23 line breaks.

His standout performance came in the season finale against Cronulla Sutherland when he ran for 172 metres from 14 runs with a line break, 10 tackle breaks and 10 tackles without a miss.

In his 10 NSW Cup games, he scored three tries and averaged 106 metres with 38 tackle breaks, six try assists and four line breaks.