Gelling set to join New Zealand Warriors

Anthony Gelling is on the verge of going from one Warriors side to another.

The 27-year-old was granted a release from Super League side Wigan Warriors to return to his native New Zealand and be closer to his family.

He recently made a blog post on explaining his decision to leave Wigan: “The real reason for me leaving the Cherry & Whites was basically to be closer to family.

“I returned to pre-season for 2018 ready to roll up my sleeves and go out with a bang. I have always been one to follow my gut instinct and unfortunately it didn’t feel right being back in the WN6.

“My girlfriend and I had kept in touch via long distance during the 2017 campaign. Another year of facetime and text messaging seemed like a mountain to climb and I was willing to try. But when I received news that she was seriously injured in a car accident it quickly put things in perspective.”

Gelling has trained with the Warriors over the last week and is on the verge of signing a one-year contract with the NRL club, according to the NZ Herald.

The Cook Islands international has previous history with the Warriors, having played for the Auckland Vulcans side that were beaten by Canterbury Bulldogs in the 2011 NSW Cup Grand Final.

He joined Wigan the following year and scored 52 tries in 114 games for the club, being part of a squad that won the Challenge Cup, League Leaders Shield, Super League Grand Final and World Club Challenge.

If the move does happen, Gelling will link up with ex-teammate, Blake Green, whom he played with for two years while at Wigan.