Addin Fonua-Blake will join the Cronulla Sharks on a four-year deal from 2025.
The 28-year-old Warriors forward has been the centre of speculation, since it was revealed he wanted out of the Auckland club on compassionate grounds.
The Sharks beat out fierce competition from several Sydney NRL clubs to win the Tongan international's signature. His new contract is reportedly worth $1 million per season.
Fonua-Blake will play the 2024 season with the Warriors, before linking with the Sharks after requesting and being granted a release from the final years of his contract with the NZ club.
Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon is celebrating the prized signature.
"Addin is a world-class front rower and we are delighted to be adding him to our roster from 2025," Fitzgibbon said.
"Throughout the negotiation process we have been impressed by his attitude, his genuine desire to help make the Sharks successful and to complement and work alongside both those in our leadership group and the young forwards we have coming through our system."
Warriors chief executive Cameron George said they'd negotiated extensively with the Sharks to reach an agreement, which will not include a previously mooted player swap.
Earlier reports suggested that among the conditions for Fonua-Blake leaving early - with his contract set to expire at the end of 2026 - would be the Warriors receiving a player in exchange from his new club.
The Dally M front-rower of the year will leave an enormous void in the Warriors' roster but - as the team's most expensive player - will also free up a significant chunk of salary cap space for the team to target a replacement.
Fonua-Blake played 26 games in the 2023 NRL season, including all three finals matches for a Warriors team which finished fourth on the table before reaching the preliminary final stage of the competition.
The 28-year-old played an enormous role in the Warriors' transformation last season. Whil the situation is unfortunate, coach Andrew Webster believes he's determined to leave Mt Smart on a high.
"I love what he's given to the club and I love what he wants to give us his season as well," Webster told SENZ after the news of Fonua-Blake's commitment to the Sharks broke.
"Addin is as motivated as I've seen.
"It's been really obvious to me in all my discussions with Addin, he's made it really clear it's not about not loving it here [Auckland].
"They absolutely love it – they love the club. They love the country. But they've got a real family thing they need to attend to and they need to get home and be there.
"That's hard to take but you've got to support him on that. We support Addin and his family 10 percentHe goes with our full support because we've communicated really well with him and he's communicated really well with us."
Fonua-Blake originally requested an immediate release from his contract to return to Sydney to be closer to his ill parents, before agreeing to a compromise to stay on one more season.
The Sharks beat out rivals St George Illawarra Dragons, who reportedly tabled a four-year deal worth over $1m per season for Fonua-Blake's services.
