Villasanti's future in own hands

New Zealand Warriors coach Ivan Cleary says former Australian Test prop Richard Villasanti is free to stay or leave the NRL Club.

Docked four competition points and fined $430,000 for salary cap breaches over the past two years, the Warriors are looking to cut costs before the start of the 2006 season. Villasanti has been asked to look at playing elsewhere as the Warriors seek to get under the NRL salary cap, but Cleary says the big front rower is not being forced out.

Villasanti was left out of the Warriors line-up to play Melbourne in Auckland on Sunday and will play in a curtain raiser for the club's development side against a team from New Zealand's domestic league.