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	Wayde Egan	✔	✔	✔
9	James Fisher-Harris	✔	✔	✔	✔
10	Jackson Ford	✔	✔	✔
11	Leka Halasima	✔	✔	✔
12	Morgan Harper	✔
13	Chanel Harris-Tavita	✔	✔
14	Sam Healey	✔	✔	✔
15	Edward Kosi	✔
16	Jacob Laban	✔	✔
17	Ali Leiataua	✔	✔	✔
18	Freddy Lussick	✔	✔
19	Te Maire Martin	✔
20	Luke Metcalf	✔	✔
21	Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	✔	✔	✔
22	Marata Niukore	✔	✔
23	Adam Pompey	✔	✔	✔
24	Tanner Stowers-Smith	✔
25	Taine Tuaupiki	✔	✔
26	Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	✔	✔
27	Demitric Vaimauga	✔	✔	✔	✔
28	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
-	Jett Cleary	T	S	S
-	Morgan Gannon	-	✔	✔	✔
-	Jye Linnane	-	✔	✔	✔
-	Motu Pasikala	T	?	?

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

Confirmed Top 30 2025: 28/30
Confirmed Supplementary 2025: 6/6

Confirmed Top 30 2026: 25/30
Confirmed Supplementary 2026: 1/6

2026 Gains: Jye Linnane (Newcastle Knights), Morgan Gannon (Leeds Rhinos)
2026 Losses: Nil

Off Contract: Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale, Morgan Harper, Edward Kosi, Te Maire Martin, Tanner Stowers-Smith
Off Contract from 01/11/25: Rocco Berry, Tanah Boyd, Kurt Capewell, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Jacob Laban, Freddy Lussick, Luke Metcalf, Marata Niukore, Taine Tuaupiki, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck

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[SouthernWorrier]

Three roosters halves are 22-23 years old in Savala, Walker, Smith and Chad is the old man out at 34 who ironically they signed on a 1 year deal. Sounds like a good plan we could follow.

Young halves are such a crap shoot... how many 'next big thing' juniors get touted every year. It looks like Cappy is filling the cupboard with options and seeing who rises to the top. Some exciting prospects but even then maybe 1 in 5 will kick on to regular 1st grade.

 

[juju]

He is on a development contract, They have 5 halves (with DCE rumoured to be on the way for two years to replace Chad) and another on a development contract. So we would have the same with Jett on a development contract if we signed Boyd and TMM to a one year extension. Sounds good to me.

If they get DCE it's likely Sandon Smith leaves... and have already jettisoned players to seemingly fit him

No clubs have 4 halves of the quality of Luke, CHT, TMM, Tannah - plus a 5th prospect on a multi year deal in the 30.
& 3 hookers in the top 30

Suspect the club will definitely want to be rebalancing the squad by losing Lussick's final year and playing it by ear on the Tannah / TMM situation at seasons end.

 

[Inruin]

Young halves are such a crap shoot... how many 'next big thing' juniors get touted every year. It looks like Cappy is filling the cupboard with options and seeing who rises to the top. Some exciting prospects but even then maybe 1 in 5 will kick on to regular 1st grade.

Definitely the way to go. There is a clear plan to stock us up with promising juniors in these positions from Australia and hope there is the odd Shaun Johnson or Stacey Jones that filters through from locally. We seem to have the forwards covered development wise. Our outside backs appear to be a bit of a conundrum. Surely we should be able to get some fast, skillful wings/centers coming through? That is our next issue - replacing RTS and DWZ. Hopefully we head down the path that many teams seem to be able to do and have versatile wing/centers that are equally comfortable playing either position. I can see us looking to Australia for an outside back signing soon

 

[Theking267]

The issue you have if you re-sign Martin & keep Boyd is that you don’t want TMM to play in the centres or at lock. The way Lussick has been used this year playing prop. Although it’s kinda work out now with Sam probably being the 14th man going forward in NRL & Lussick being the starting hooker in Cup.

 

[juju]

The issue you have if you re-sign Martin & keep Boyd is that you don’t want TMM to play in the centres or at lock. The way Lussick has been used this year playing prop. Although it’s kinda work out now with Sam probably being the 14th man going forward in NRL & Lussick being the starting hooker in Cup.

The way they have been playing Lussick in cup is not so subtlety telling him you have no future at the club.
To his credit he hasn't dropped his lip.

 

[kos]

The way they have been playing Lussick in cup is not so subtlety telling him you have no future at the club.
To his credit he hasn't dropped his lip.

And in a couple of games I have seen actually done ok at prop.

 

[Noitall]

And in a couple of games I have seen actually done ok at prop.

Don’t see a huge amount of player turnover under Webster. Releases are usually for compassionate reasons, get the feeling he gives players in the squad first opportunity to have a go at developing into the position or role we need. Would say that’s a big part of his popularity, his trust in his squad. Not many players in the entire squad that can only play one position either

 

[juju]

And in a couple of games I have seen actually done ok at prop.

He actually has hasn't he.

Can't be an easy situation for him....

 

[kos]

He actually has hasn't he.

Can't be an easy situation for him....

Good on him. I hope recruiters from other clubs notice he is a solid player and maintains a good attitude
Good maturity

 

[run_it_str8_again]

And in a couple of games I have seen actually done ok at prop.

I've been impressed that he didn't push for a release and adapted. Now he has the ability to play specialist 9. Prop . And likely lock. As a nine he might be borderline ball playing lock.

 

[kos]

I've been impressed that he didn't push for a release and adapted. Now he has the ability to play specialist 9. Prop . And likely lock. As a nine he might be borderline ball playing lock.

He s a smaller version of Jazz with less penalty pulling sbility

 

[Makasene]

View: https://youtu.be/U2ZJw73ysBs?si=CwyzedeB2o5hHOZP


Great interview with Cappy.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

View: https://youtu.be/U2ZJw73ysBs?si=CwyzedeB2o5hHOZP


Great interview with Cappy.

Sounds like hes found his niche. Always come across as a nice guy with a footy brain, regardless of what happened

 

[run_it_str8_again]

Sounds like hes found his niche. Always come across as a nice guy with a footy brain, regardless of what happened

Finding the right seat on the bus is as important as getting the right people on it. Fred Lussick is a funny but poignant example

 

[sydneywarrior92]

Sounds like hes found his niche. Always come across as a nice guy with a footy brain, regardless of what happened

After listening to that Matt Elliott interview where he described how dysfunctional the team was, I think Cappy did well for us to be in consistent finals contention during his tenure as coach. He's doing a great job for us in the recruitment field.

 

[Inruin]

After listening to that Matt Elliott interview where he described how dysfunctional the team was, I think Cappy did well for us to be in consistent finals contention during his tenure as coach. He's doing a great job for us in the recruitment field.

And from memory we were playing a good style of footy but hit with key injuries during his time.

 

[sydneywarrior92]

And from memory we were playing a good style of footy but hit with key injuries during his time.

Back in those days (2012-2017), we had the habit of starting the season drunk, making a recovery during origin and giving us momentary hope, and then collapsing absolutely in the final third of the season to finish in the bottom four. Changing the coach never really changed that pattern whether it was Bluey, Elliott, Cappy or SK. In hindsight it really wasn't Cappy or any of the coaches fault, we just had a rotten culture driven by a handful of players that needed to be cleaned out. At least now our club seems to be a happier and more healthy environment for success.

 

[sup42]

View: https://youtu.be/U2ZJw73ysBs?si=CwyzedeB2o5hHOZP


Great interview with Cappy.

The most telling thing in that interview comes early in the peace where McFadden says he jumped at the Warriors development and pathways manager position to provide security for himself and his family.

That is the antithesis of the mantra around here where fans fret about our Aussie players not likely to stick around and all the posts about either throwing silly money at them, or the posts about not playing them in key Warriors roles because they won't stay (Metcalf thread if you want evidence of the Whining fans that Make a job in NZ sound like a life sentence).

I think quite honestly that fans have no idea about how acutely tuned to the Aussie in NZ problem that Cappy and Webster live through themselves.

These blokes know better than anyone how to identify Aussie who will adapt and how to make New Zealand a positive work place for them.

It is staring us in the face.

We are a great Aussie pathway offshore that from time to time will hire an Adam Fonua Blake, who will want to piss off when it suits, but hey he is Tongan and the Tongan league scene is not one marked by loyalty to countries outside of Tonga, ergo if NZ learned anything about Aussie based Tongans it is that they are even less likely to stay here than the ones who were born here and abandoned the Kiwis. Elise Katoa pissed off first chance he could, the Tongans are not loyal to New Zealand, yet these threads are flooded with Aussie exodus posts....Irony much.

I think McFadden and Webster understand these nuances, they themselves live in a world where they are trying to help a New Zealand team win and Australian competition.

I recon McFadden and Webster spend a lot of time horse Whispering all the Australians we have in every grade top down as to why the Warriors are a good option.

We offer the chance to be the first NRL champions at this club.

We treat our Aussies like star imports.

The fans treat our Aussies like star imports.

The Aussies who come here and play well get treated like Demi Gods on the street compared to backyard Sydney where they cop shit.

Also McFadden and Webster seem to have woken up to the problem at the Warriors where they did not celebrate hearty Mana māori.

 

[FormerlyJamesW]

There is flood of māori players returning to the Warriors and this club is stronger for it. māori players wanting to come home is the strongest bond this country has.

Great post.

Some good insights into different perspectives and reasoning why the club looks far stronger as a result of recent management decisions.

Finally feels like they, the club, have got their shit together and are taking themselves seriously.

 

[Mr. Brownstone]

I guess we better get rid Halasima & Vaimauga then before their disloyal Tongan blood betrays us & they piss off to greener pastures…