Chanel Harris-Tavita

'CHT', or Chitty as he is also known, is back with the One New Zealand Warriors after having a year away from the game in 2023.

His return was confirmed in May last year when he signed a two-year contract to the end of the 2025 season.

Chanel finished his fourth NRL campaign with the One New Zealand Warriors with his 54th outing in the final regular season match against Gold Coast in 2022 before taking a break from rugby league following his appearance for Toa Samoa in the Rugby League World Cup final against Australia in Manchester last November.

He came to prominence playing for the Warriors in the club’s under-20 team in the now defunct National Youth Competition, debuting on his 17th birthday on April 3, 2016 and going on to make 40 appearances in the grade. He followed that up with 30 games in the New South Wales Cup and made his NRL debut against Gold Coast at Mount Smart Stadium two days after his 20th birthday in 2019.

After making 13 appearances in his rookie campaign, Chanel doubled his career tally to 26 in 2020. He produced six try assists, forced eight goal-line drop outs and took on added responsibility with his kicking game. As well as being the team's top points scorer with 62 points, he snared a memorable try-scoring double against the Eels when he finished off two of the season's best tries.

Starting the 2021 season, CHT was locked in the halfback's job but his campaign was stalled after just two rounds when he was sidelined after having surgery on a foot injury. It kept him out until round nine before he returned in a season in which he added 11 NR appearances to his career tally.

The club's third season isolated in Australia was his busiest when he played 17 times, in the process bringing up his 50-game milestone.

However, the ongoing impact of the Covid era played a part in Harris-Tavita reaching his decision to bravely step aside from the game at the age of just 23. First he iced the year by impressing for Toa Samoa at the Rugby League World Cup, going all the way to the final.

Following that he slipped out of view travelling extensively and also spending time in Samoa, where he worked on a family farm. However, the turnaround in the Warriors' fortunes more than piqued his appetite and, in time, he was in negotiations with the club to return.