Ah Mau returning to Warriors

The Warriors have beaten out St George Illawarra to confirm the signing of Dragons prop Leeson Ah Mau on a three-year deal from the start of next season.

A Kiwi debutant in Denver who made his NRL debut with the Warriors in 2009, Ah Mau has impressed this year off the bench for the Dragons.

However he made clear to the Saints earlier this year he wanted to return home to New Zealand, and knocked back an offer from the Red V to sign with the Warriors until at least the end of 2021.

"Leeson will be a wonderful addition to our squad from next season," Warriors coach Stephen Kearney said.

"He's a big forward who is consistently one of the Dragons' best week in, week out.

"He fits the mould of the type of player we're building our squad around - tough, durable and with a tremendous attitude in all he does on and off the field.

"We've always had an interest in him as did a number of clubs, so we're really excited he was keen to come back home and join the club he started with."

Since moving to the Dragons from North Queensland in 2012, the 28-year-old has played 134 games for the club and was voted their player of the year in 2015.

He has been one of their unheralded stars this year, averaging more than 100 metres per match as part of a bench that has helped them to second on the ladder.

"Leeson is a player we tried to retain but we also understood that there were a lot of other implications and they're not always about money," Dragons recruitment manager Ian Millward said.

"He's given outstanding service - not only this season, but his previous seasons - and he's been a real benchmark for our other forwards in terms of how he's gone about his business and the way he's played the game.

"We understand the reasons why he didn't accept our offer and we can't applaud him enough for what he's done for the Dragons."