Former New Zealand under 16s star Stanley Iongi has inked a deal to join the Canberra Raiders.
Iongi, 19, was formerly a member of the Warriors’ junior system, but last year signed with the Brisbane Tigers, who are a Melbourne Storm feeder club.
Despite having committed to the Tigers, Iongi’s manager Dixon McIver says the Queensland Cup side were happy to let him pursue a better opportunity with the Raiders.
“They were great about it,” McIver told Wide World of Sports.
“They wanted Stanley in their club but they recognised he had a much better opportunity at Canberra and let him go - I can’t speak highly enough of them.
“He is a real goer in the Brandon Smith mould - Canberra have got themselves a great kid.”
In signing Iongi, the Raiders may have secured their hooker of the future, with Josh Hodgson headed to the Parramatta Eels at the end of the 2022 season.
Iongi could turn out to be a player that haunts the Warriors in years to come, with the New Zealand based club having a lack of depth at the dummy-half position, particularly after they tried to lure Storm star Smith back home this off-season.
The ball-running rake is expected to play in Canberra’s SG ball side after he recently dominated in the NZRL under 20s competition last year, playing a key role in the Auckland Blue’s journey to the Grand Final.