Warriors confirm departure of six players
There is a new face among the list.
Shaun Johnson’s stellar season has been highlighted at the New Zealand Warriors end-of-season awards with the veteran halfback winning three major awards, including the Simon Mannering Medal for Player of the Year.
During the evening, the Warriors also confirmed the departure of six players from their squad, acknowledging their contribution to the club.
Forward Bayley Sironen will not be offered a contract for 2024. The 26-year-old forward has played 53 games for the Warriors over three seasons and will now be on the lookout for a new team.
20-year-old centre Viliami Vailea will also be leaving the club after earlier signing with the North Queensland Cowboys on a two-year deal starting next season. Vailea made 17 appearances for the Warriors in the NRL.
Another player to depart is young prop Valingi Kepu who is yet to make his NRL debut.
The final three players appearing on the list were Ben Murdoch-Masila, Taniela Otukulo and Otukinekina Kepu (brother of Valingi). All three were actually released by the Warriors before the start of the 2023 season with Murdoch-Masila joining the Dragons in January ahead of the 2023 season.
It was announced by Michael Scotto of HoopsHype that former Golden State Warriors forward Anthony Lamb has signed a new contract with the New Zealand Breakers. Lamb spent most of last season on a two-way contract with the Warriors, but was converted to a standard deal towards the end of the season. Lamb hit free agency this summer, and did not get picked up by an NBA team, which led to him signing with the Breakers. Lamb appeared in 62 games for the Warriors last season, often playing regular rotation minutes as a floor spacing forward for Steve Kerr. While Lamb had his struggles at times last season, he also had some solid moments for the Warriors, which led to them making the decision to convert his contract towards the end of the season.
While it’s unclear if Lamb had any NBA opportunities at all, such as training camp offers or another two-way deal, this opportunity with the Breakers should give him a chance to play a bigger role than whatever would have been available for him in the NBA this season. With his NBA experience, Lamb will look to have a solid season in New Zealand and possibly make a comeback to the league at some point in the future. After an up and down season with the Warriors, Lamb will likely spend all of this season out of the NBA.
