The NRL 2027 off-season player market is already picking up steam, with two major roster announcements shaking up the competition this week. The Melbourne Storm have continued their strategic squad building for upcoming campaigns, securing the return of Victorian-developed forward Kelma Tuilagi from the Parramatta Eels on a deal starting in the 2027 season.
Tuilagi’s rugby league journey has deep roots with the Storm. Born in Samoa and raised in New Zealand, he moved to Melbourne at a young age and rose through the club’s famous youth development pathways. Though he did not take the field for the Storm in 2020, he was a member of the club’s premiership-winning squad that year, and stayed with the entire team throughout their pandemic relocation to Queensland.
After leaving the Storm’s development system, Tuilagi made his senior NRL debut with the Wests Tigers in 2021, before moving to the Parramatta Eels three seasons ago. At the Eels, he cemented himself as a consistent regular starter on the right edge of the forward pack, earning a reputation as a physical and reliable contributor.
The signing makes solid strategic sense for Melbourne, which is set to lose starting edge forward Shawn Blore to the Brisbane Broncos ahead of next season. With the club currently grappling with a long-term absence of key forward Eli Katoa this year, mid-season recruit Oryn Keeley has already stepped up to fill the gap, and Tuilagi’s arrival will further boost back-row depth for the coming years.
Melbourne Storm’s director of football Frank Ponissi expressed clear enthusiasm about the homecoming signing in a statement this week. “We’re delighted to have Kelma returning to Melbourne Storm and Victoria in 2027,” Ponissi said. “Kelma has a strong connection to our club. He was part of our 2020 premiership-winning squad and came through the Victorian rugby league system, so it’s fantastic to bring him back after he’s established himself as a regular NRL player. He’s a powerful, athletic forward who has continued to develop over the past few seasons. He’ll add experience and physicality to our forward pack, and we’re excited to see him back in a Storm jersey.”
In a separate announcement from across the Tasman, the New Zealand Warriors have locked in one of their star playmakers for the long haul, extending Chanel Harris-Tavita’s contract through to the end of the 2029 NRL season. The new extension comes just months after Harris-Tavita originally signed a one-year renewal that would have kept him at the club through 2027.
Andrew McFadden, the Warriors’ general manager of recruitment, pathways and development, said the club jumped at the chance to secure the halfback for a longer tenure. “Initially Chanel renewed for just the one season but we couldn’t be happier to have him with us for a longer term,” McFadden said. “It secures his future and ensures he will continue to be a critical part of our plans for at least the next three seasons. He has worked so hard at improving his game and has become one of the game’s most accomplished halves.”
The dual announcements round out an early flurry of off-season moves across the NRL, as clubs look to shore up their rosters long before the 2026 campaign gets underway.