Recruitment Warriors 2025/2026 Recruitment & Retention

Warriors 2025/2026 Recruitment & Retention Discussion​

-	Player	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029
1	Bunty Afoa	✔
2	Tom Ale	✔
3	Mitchell Barnett	✔	✔	✔
4	Rocco Berry	✔	✔
5	Tanah Boyd	✔	✔
6	Kurt Capewell	✔	✔
7	Erin Clark	✔	✔	✔
8	Jett Cleary	✔	S	S
9	Wayde Egan	✔	✔	✔
10	James Fisher-Harris	✔	✔	✔	✔
11	Jackson Ford	✔	✔	✔
12	Leka Halasima	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
13	Morgan Harper	✔
14	Chanel Harris-Tavita	✔	✔
15	Sam Healey	✔	✔	✔
16	Edward Kosi	✔
17	Jacob Laban	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
18	Ali Leiataua	✔	✔	✔
19	Jye Linnane	✔	✔	✔	✔
20	Freddy Lussick	✔	✔
21	Te Maire Martin	✔	✔
22	Luke Metcalf	✔	✔
23	Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	✔	✔	✔
24	Marata Niukore	✔	✔
25	Adam Pompey	✔	✔	✔
26	Tanner Stowers-Smith	✔	✔	✔
27	Taine Tuaupiki	✔	✔
28	Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	✔	✔
29	Demitric Vaimauga	✔	✔	✔	✔
30	Dallin Watene-Zelezniak	✔	✔	✔
S1	Kayliss Fatialofa	S	✔	✔
S2	Kalani Going	S
S3	Luke Hanson	S
S4	Eddie Ieremia-Toeava	S	✔	✔
S5	Sio Kali	S
S6	Patrick Moimoi	S
-	Kahu Capper	T	T
-	Morgan Gannon	-	✔	✔	✔
-	Haizyn Mellars	✔	✔	✔
-	Motu Pasikala	T	?	?

C = Club option, M = Mutual option, P = Player option, S = Supplementary contract, T = Train & Trial contract

Top 30 2026: 29/30
Supplementary 2026: 1/6

2026 Gains: Morgan Gannon (Leeds Rhinos), Haizyn Mellars (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
2026 Losses: Edward Kosi (South Sydney Rabbitohs)

Off Contract: Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale, Morgan Harper
Can negotiate with other clubs from Nov 1, 2025 (Entering final year) : Rocco Berry, Tanah Boyd, Kurt Capewell, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Freddy Lussick, Te Maire Martin, Luke Metcalf, Marata Niukore, Taine Tuaupiki, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck

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[BangBro's (still banging)]

I hope it's not sipley! I would rather attack the sharks proping stocks now AFB is there.

Tapuha should be an easy target and can take buntys spot next year.

I get he's got 80 odd games of nrl experience, but are we looking for a bench prop guy when we have Zyon Maiu’u and Vaimauga and bunty and Ale fighting for spots?

I'd rather someone younger, we don't need another busted cat! I'd even go Wirimu Grieg over sipley.

We do need to get some more minutes out of Vaimauga and Zyon Maiu’u though.

 

[Jonesy69]

Interesting This Warriors Life podcast where @Fonzie mentioned that vrumours around that te Warriors were going to sign a prop - not Molo. He and Will Evans kind of suggested that could be a Manly player ... Sipley returns???

Didn’t realise Jazz got homesick that quickly

 

[Tookey 2.0]

I hope it's not sipley! I would rather attack the sharks proping stocks now AFB is there.

Tapuha should be an easy target and can take buntys spot next year.

I get he's got 80 odd games of nrl experience, but are we looking for a bench prop guy when we have Zyon Maiu’u and Vaimauga and bunty and Ale fighting for spots?

I'd rather someone younger, we don't need another busted cat! I'd even go Wirimu Grieg over sipley.

We do need to get some more minutes out of Vaimauga and Zyon Maiu’u though.

The way I see it, Sipley moves the needle for us right now.... No point in getting another young fulla, as we already have several of those trying to break in to the top 17.
Sipley offers us experience, a bigger body and meters NOW that we can largely rely on week in week out.

It means newbies like Demetric and Halasima can come into the team and we don't need them to crack 100m per game and no missed tackles, they can come in to the team and have their 15-40 minutes (depending on game situation) and smash it out.

I'd probably go:
JFH
Egan
Barney
Niukore
Capewell
Clark/Ale

Sifakula
Sipley
Walker
Clark/Ale/Halasima/Healey/Lussick/Ford

Much more balanced imo

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

The way I see it, Sipley moves the needle for us right now.... No point in getting another young fulla, as we already have several of those trying to break in to the top 17.
Sipley offers us experience, a bigger body and meters NOW that we can largely rely on week in week out.

It means newbies like Demetric and Halasima can come into the team and we don't need them to crack 100m per game and no missed tackles, they can come in to the team and have their 15-40 minutes (depending on game situation) and smash it out.

I'd probably go:
JFH
Egan
Barney
Niukore
Capewell
Clark/Ale

Sifakula
Sipley
Walker
Clark/Ale/Halasima/Healey/Lussick/Ford

Much more balanced imo

I think Niukore need to move into the middle, so he could do that role nicely.

 

[Jonesy69]

Any chance it could be Bullemore? Off contract at the end of this season?

 

[Defence]

Always liked Sipley- was gutted when he left- thought his brother was underrated too.
Knees a concern at his age.
Just on manly- I have heard on the grapevine that they’re told jason sabbs manager he’s free to look around- he’s still got like four years to run on his contract but they need to find space for Tommy talua and lehi hopoate.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Any chance it could be Bullemore? Off contract at the end of this season?

I have wanted bullemor for some time now! I would not mind that at all!

 

[snake77]

Always liked Sipley- was gutted when he left- thought his brother was underrated too.
Knees a concern at his age.
Just on manly- I have heard on the grapevine that they’re told jason sabbs manager he’s free to look around- he’s still got like four years to run on his contract but they need to find space for Tommy talua and lehi hopoate.

I'm not sure if we have the kicking accuracy for the high balls out to the wing now that Johnson has retired. But It would be nice having Saab's height out wide to aim for.

He'd likely be quicker than a lot of our current options.

I can't recall if he was on one American show or multiple before the Vegas games last year. But he did a good job being interviewed explaining the sport and representing the NRL. I know the on-field stuff is the most important but he seemed quite mature. Something that we should consider with our recruitment seeing as they need to settle into a different country.

 

[SJ2k]

Always liked Sipley- was gutted when he left- thought his brother was underrated too.
Knees a concern at his age.
Just on manly- I have heard on the grapevine that they’re told jason sabbs manager he’s free to look around- he’s still got like four years to run on his contract but they need to find space for Tommy talua and lehi hopoate.

Would solve the speed issue wouldn't it.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Saab is deceptively good

 

[Boston Boy]

Saab is deceptively good

average on D, average to poor hit ups, but probably the fastest player in the comp. If we have CNK and RTS in the team, they would make up for his poor hit ups, but no one in our team can finish like him from 90m out. I would seriously consider him but does our play suit him? I am not sure we are expansive enough to maximise his speed.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

average on D, average to poor hit ups, but probably the fastest player in the comp. If we have CNK and RTS in the team, they would make up for his poor hit ups, but no one in our team can finish like him from 90m out. I would seriously consider him but does our play suit him? I am not sure we are expansive enough to maximise his speed.

Thats kinda my point. Youre always thinking Saab bog average then he plucks a ball from the ionosphere or does a 50m in 5secs. Good if we could get him cheap. Your right about not suiting him. We've never been able to exploit quick wingers

 

[Tookey 2.0]

average on D, average to poor hit ups, but probably the fastest player in the comp. If we have CNK and RTS in the team, they would make up for his poor hit ups, but no one in our team can finish like him from 90m out. I would seriously consider him but does our play suit him? I am not sure we are expansive enough to maximise his speed.

I remember hearing a rumour before Saab debuted for Manly that we had signed him, so went and googled him and wiki had him listed at 7'10 lol, which got me very interested

But no, for me one of the things that Webby has demonstrated is that he's able to get the best out of a lot of players, and while last year we had a few issues with injuries and form, I feel he's often able to play to players strengths and implement a game plan around that, as opposed to fitting a player in to a predetermined box, so I'm hopeful that we would be able to utalise a strength like having the fastest player in the comp.
Similar to our worries around the lack of kicking game from our halves. If you look at the traditional role of a half you'd say we're going to struggle as we don't have a strong kicker, but imo were going to see a game plan that emphasizes other strengths, as opposed to trying to get our players play a game that their not familiar with or able to execute.

Let's see how that pans out I guess

 

[Boston Boy]

I remember hearing a rumour before Saab debuted for Manly that we had signed him, so went and googled him and wiki had him listed at 7'10 lol, which got me very interested

But no, for me one of the things that Webby has demonstrated is that he's able to get the best out of a lot of players, and while last year we had a few issues with injuries and form, I feel he's often able to play to players strengths and implement a game plan around that, as opposed to fitting a player in to a predetermined box, so I'm hopeful that we would be able to utalise a strength like having the fastest player in the comp.
Similar to our worries around the lack of kicking game from our halves. If you look at the traditional role of a half you'd say we're going to struggle as we don't have a strong kicker, but imo were going to see a game plan that emphasizes other strengths, as opposed to trying to get our players play a game that their not familiar with or able to execute.

Let's see how that pans out I guess

Another thing against Saab is his hamstrings are sometimes an issue.

 

[Tookey 2.0]

Another thing against Saab is his hamstrings are sometimes an issue.

Has played 79 games in 4 seasons, so has probably missed a touch over 20 games in 4 seasons. Not terrible, but deffo something to consider.

Also, he's only 24?! Worth the risk imo

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Another thing against Saab is his hamstrings are sometimes an issue.

Kind of like a certain someone at our club

 

[Playdaball]

Kind of like a certain someone at our club

An ex Manly player too.
Need to run a sweepstake as to how many games Mr M will play?

 

[Defence]

Just had a wee peak on the manly forum predicted lineup thread.
Everyone has Saab on one wing (although apparently he’s on restricted training and could be in doubt for round one) with an even split for hopoate and talau on the other.
Bullemor is almost a universal choice on the bench with Sipley missing out on the 17.
Also quite funny they’re debating wether Jazz can play hooker haha- the more things change the more they stay the same.
I kinda feel manly would be stupid to release any of these guys this year though- the last few years they’ve had gun teams but no depth and it’s cost them- they finally look to have some depth and could give it a good shake this year imho.

 

[The Warrior Waka]

Saab runs like the wind! Tackles like the wind too.

 

[Noitall]

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=DTWEB_MRE170_a_GGN&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailytelegraph.com.au%2Fsport%2Fnrl%2Fparramatta-playmaker-dylan-brown-is-seeking-offers-of-12-millionaseason-to-quit-the-eels-amid-interest-from-five-rival-clubs%2Fnews-story%2F103c6bcc25afdf5f8395afa58cc6ebfd&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=ULTRALOW-Segment-1-SCORE

Anyone got access to this article? Does it mention the five clubs and his asking price?