Black Ferns star Michaela Blyde will play for the Warriors in the club’s return to the NRLW next year.
Blyde, 28, is a back-to-back World Rugby sevens player of the year and double Olympic Games gold medal winner.
The speedster has scored almost 250 tries in more than 200 sevens appearances on the world stage and said: “I’ve been looking forward to this day for the last few months. To sign with the Warriors was a little bit of a surprise for me to be honest but nonetheless I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity the One New Zealand Warriors are offering me.
“I’m excited to be a part of something that’s growing super, super quickly and you’d be silly not to want to be involved in it.
Warriors CEO Cameron George said: “This is so exciting, [it's] a real landmark day for the club and for the game attracting a player of Michaela’s exceptional calibre to move from rugby union to join our NRLW squad.
“It says so much about the excitement the NRLW and rugby league generally is generating on the New Zealand sporting landscape.”
Warriors NRLW head coach Ronald Griffiths said: "Michaela is an elite athlete who has succeeded through a steely focus and an unwavering determination. She’s a wonderful acquisition for our programme.
“Her career has been underpinned by hard work while her attitude and blistering speed will hold her in good stead to transition successfully into the NRLW.
“It was evident from when we first connected that Michaela was excited by this opportunity. We are equally as excited about her signing.”
Blyde completed signing formalities late yesterday, paving the way for her code switch to rugby league.
“The Warriors are a team I grew up watching on TV," she said. "My family are rugby but when we knew the Warriors were playing on TV we’d change the channel to watch them and support them.”
First drafted into the New Zealand Sevens team as a 17-year-old in 2013, Blyde followed her mother Cherry who played for the Black Ferns in 1992.
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