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, Freddy Lussick, Luke Metcalf, Marata Niukore, Taine Tuaupiki, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck

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[Dantheman]

Tanah Boyd makes big call on NRL future amid Cowboys interest

He has been linked with a move away from New Zealand.

www.zerotackle.com

Tanah Boyd taking up his option for next year and sticking around. Think the club would have been honest with him and he could still be in their plans? He may be depth but if he gets an opportunity, he might grab it with both hands. Think now if TMM is to be extended, it’s as a 14 going forward. Still a possibility, we signed Walker as a bench utility who can fill multiple positions and TMM has that in his arsenal. If he got a preseason to become accustomed to lock off the bench, I’d back him with him a strong defender. That’s possibly where Gannon fits in though?

Surely TMM is gone with this news.

 

[CWC]

Tanah Boyd makes big call on NRL future amid Cowboys interest

He has been linked with a move away from New Zealand.

www.zerotackle.com

Tanah Boyd taking up his option for next year and sticking around. Think the club would have been honest with him and he could still be in their plans? He may be depth but if he gets an opportunity, he might grab it with both hands. Think now if TMM is to be extended, it’s as a 14 going forward. Still a possibility, we signed Walker as a bench utility who can fill multiple positions and TMM has that in his arsenal. If he got a preseason to become accustomed to lock off the bench, I’d back him with him a strong defender. That’s possibly where Gannon fits in though?

Walker's position is Gannon's then after Boyd 2026 it's probably Jye and/or Jett 2027 for first drop position or outright take CHT's spot

 

[WA Warrior]

Tanah Boyd makes big call on NRL future amid Cowboys interest

He has been linked with a move away from New Zealand.

www.zerotackle.com

Tanah Boyd taking up his option for next year and sticking around. Think the club would have been honest with him and he could still be in their plans? He may be depth but if he gets an opportunity, he might grab it with both hands. Think now if TMM is to be extended, it’s as a 14 going forward. Still a possibility, we signed Walker as a bench utility who can fill multiple positions and TMM has that in his arsenal. If he got a preseason to become accustomed to lock off the bench, I’d back him with him a strong defender. That’s possibly where Gannon fits in though?

Happy with this.
I’m not convinced with CHT. He’s been going well with Metcalf but I’m not fully on board with him at 6, almost a perfect 14 imo.
Pretty smart from Boyd, he’s an injury or CHT getting dropped away from playing for a team that is at the top of table.
He could do well next to Metcalf. Metcalf is the 7 and chief now but Boyd’s kicking game and organising could help Metcalf as well.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

This makes sense for Boyd, two new teams on the horizon and he will be in a prime spot to take it up with the Perth Bears.

Great news for us in the meantime though. Hes far better off sitting tight.

 

[Cces]

Not sure if it was already posted, but I've gone through the Code article on who manages who, if anyone is interested:

Sports Vision
Bunty Afoa (S. Martin)
Erin Clark (S. Martin)
Chanel Harris-Tavita (S. Martin)

Wasserman Rugby
Tom Ale (B. Sharrock)
Rocco Berry (B. Sharrock)
Leka Halasima (J. Friend)
Sio Kali (J. Friend)
Ed Kosi (D. O'Loughlin)
Jacob Laban (J. Friend)
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (D. O'Loughlin)
Adam Pompey (D. O'Loughlin)
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (B. Sharrock)
Demitric Vaimauga (J. Friend)

Pacific Sports
Mitch Barnett (C. Orr)
Kayliss Fatialofa (M. Parata)
Sam Healey (G. Ghazal)
Patrick Moimoi (M. Parata)
Marata Niukore (C. Orr)
Taine Tuaupiki (T. Bartlett)

Titan Sports
Tanah Boyd (D. Riolo, M. Hudson, or M. Adamson)

Gillis Schifcofske Sports
Kurt Capewell (C. Schifcofske)

Rise Sports
Wayde Egan (M. Stewart)

SFX Sports
James Fisher-Harris (G. Mimis)
Luke Metcalf (P. Sutton)

Pulse Talent
Jackson Ford (C. Rogaris)

Sportsplayer
Morgan Harper (T. Smith)
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (T. Smith)

Ultra Sports
Ali Leiataua (S. Ayoub or N. Wijesekera)
Freddy Lussick (S. Ayoub or N. Wijesekera)

Map Sports
Te Maire Martin (A. Purcell)

Jim Banaghan, from Full Time Sports Management, used to have lots of Warriors on his books (Wiki, Luck, Fien, Webb, Marsh) and at one stage almost lost his accreditation when we breached the cap. He still manages the likes of Brimson, Tapine and Isaako. Interestingly he also represents the sons of Brent Webb & PJ Marsh.
Does anyone know, apart from Moses & The Cove, are there other management companies that the Warriors actively avoid, or are hesitant about recruiting from?

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

Tanah Boyd makes big call on NRL future amid Cowboys interest

He has been linked with a move away from New Zealand.

www.zerotackle.com

Tanah Boyd taking up his option for next year and sticking around. Think the club would have been honest with him and he could still be in their plans? He may be depth but if he gets an opportunity, he might grab it with both hands. Think now if TMM is to be extended, it’s as a 14 going forward. Still a possibility, we signed Walker as a bench utility who can fill multiple positions and TMM has that in his arsenal. If he got a preseason to become accustomed to lock off the bench, I’d back him with him a strong defender. That’s possibly where Gannon fits in though?

Wow!

Unlike others I don’t understand him sticking around to play 💙 Mighty NSW cup. He’s gone from a 2nd/ 3rd choice at the Titans to 4th choice here.

His call but I think he’s a better player than 4th choice.

 

[The Warrior Waka]

Jim Banaghan, from Full Time Sports Management, used to have lots of Warriors on his books (Wiki, Luck, Fien, Webb, Marsh) and at one stage almost lost his accreditation when we breached the cap. He still manages the likes of Brimson, Tapine and Isaako. Interestingly he also represents the sons of Brent Webb & PJ Marsh.
Does anyone know, apart from Moses & The Cove, are there other management companies that the Warriors actively avoid, or are hesitant about recruiting from?

Pretty sure, But don't quote me on it lol That the club wasn't feeling Sam Ayoub( Ultra Management) a few years back. Not sure how our relationship is with him now tho.

 

[3rdstriker]

Surely TMM is gone with this news.

Hes had games already this year so we'll wait and see.

 

[3rdstriker]

Wow!

Unlike others I don’t understand him sticking around to play 💙 Mighty NSW cup. He’s gone from a 2nd/ 3rd choice at the Titans to 4th choice here.

His call but I think he’s a better player than 4th choice.

Our Culture must be speaking for itself if good players want to stick around playing reserve grade.

 

[Rick O’Shay]

This makes sense for Boyd, two new teams on the horizon and he will be in a prime spot to take it up with the Perth Bears.

Great news for us in the meantime though. Hes far better off sitting tight.

100% this. His manager is a sharp cookie and as was mentioned earlier, he's only an injury away from a spot in the top side. Plus, we're trucking along ok so any optics from over there are going to be looking at the talent in all grades

 

[sup42]

The thing that impresses me the most is how rounded and focused he is. He does everything humanly possible to have his body primed, from sprint training, BJJ, Wrestling, stretch/pilates type stuff, he is also a powerlifter. Super impressive and is leadership material with all the raw elements not just to be an NRL player but an elite one. I am just unsure about his motor as power/explosive athletes can struggle with endurance a little but usually improve over time. Talent with such discipline like Toby Crosby is very very rare. I agree, LOCK HIM UP.

Ask any ex Union player about the conversion to professional Rubgy league and they will say the training killed them until they got used to it.
Often times they will say that when they converted that they found themselves surrounded by the fittest players they have ever seen in their lives.

I am not a Union guy, so I have no love for that game, however I take these stories with some perspective.

I think you will find that when a League forward is thrown into Union that on the whole they will struggle with the demands of that code because it takes a different kind of conditioning. Which is another way of saying a different kind of fitness.

I am one who firmly believes that elite athletes in either code can be retrained to adjust to the different demands provided obviously that they are not too old to make a switch.

Crosby will be finding that his main deficit is that he has to run a lot. I mean A LOT, compared to union. In League you are constantly in motion, especially under the ten meter rule (not trying to tell League fans how to suck eggs here, this is for those who may not have played or learned about the difference).

Running backwards uses different muscles to rucks and all stuff Union forwards do. His legs just won't have the muscle conditioning for running backwards five to six times without the ball,

All that said, Crosby has trained all his young life like an Elite Athlete, he has sought out cross training (not that crap called cross fitness in Gyms) and he has taken a sports science approach with his wide ranging sports activities.

Young people like that are a coaches dream, they adjust rapidly, their ceiling is extremely high.

Have no concern for his engine in this code, he was using sports science before he joined league, he will pass many of his peers in this code just by using sports science in the fashion he has his whole life.

 

[sup42]

Tanah Boyd makes big call on NRL future amid Cowboys interest

He has been linked with a move away from New Zealand.

www.zerotackle.com

Tanah Boyd taking up his option for next year and sticking around. Think the club would have been honest with him and he could still be in their plans? He may be depth but if he gets an opportunity, he might grab it with both hands. Think now if TMM is to be extended, it’s as a 14 going forward. Still a possibility, we signed Walker as a bench utility who can fill multiple positions and TMM has that in his arsenal. If he got a preseason to become accustomed to lock off the bench, I’d back him with him a strong defender. That’s possibly where Gannon fits in though?

Cappy is so smart.

Here he is sitting on one of the biggest war chests for his Salary cap budget and he opts for paying probably the most any club is paying across the NRL to keep a guy in 💙 Mighty NSW cup on standby.

And why not.

Other clubs would pay Tanah cheap money to play Cup with the promise of an upgrade if he cracks NRL.

We on the other hand obviously are paying him well to sit contended in the 💙 Mighty NSW cup on good money in case we need him.

And I suspect strongly that the main reason we are paying him an amount that has him spurning the Cows is that Cappy wants a top half tuning up our 💙 Mighty NSW cup players to make them NRL ready.

Guys like Ali who dropped back to cup benefit from this policy of having an NRL half back with them, they get a more sophisticated organizer to boost their opportunities and more importantly their learning.

We have a lot of Cap money doing nothing, it is dead money and a negative to have sitting there, this move is really smart by Cappy.

 

[3rdstriker]

Cappy is so smart.

Here he is sitting on one of the biggest war chests for his Salary cap budget and he opts for paying probably the most any club is paying across the NRL to keep a guy in 💙 Mighty NSW cup on standby.

And why not.

Other clubs would pay Tanah cheap money to play Cup with the promise of an upgrade if he cracks NRL.

We on the other hand obviously are paying him well to sit contended in the 💙 Mighty NSW cup on good money in case we need him.

And I suspect strongly that the main reason we are paying him an amount that has him spurning the Cows is that Cappy wants a top half tuning up our 💙 Mighty NSW cup players to make them NRL ready.

Guys like Ali who dropped back to cup benefit from this policy of having an NRL half back with them, they get a more sophisticated organizer to boost their opportunities and more importantly their learning.

We have a lot of Cap money doing nothing, it is dead money and a negative to have sitting there, this move is really smart by Cappy.

Tanah Must be good for Cleary to learn off too,
Also according to some football coaches somewhere i heard that Tanah boyd has the best boot of any Nrl player, which makes sense too keep a wee gem like him here on ice.

 

[sup42]

Tanah Must be good for Cleary to learn off too,
Also according to some football coaches somewhere i heard that Tanah boyd has the best boot of any Nrl player, which makes sense too keep a wee gem like him here on ice.

The Warriors have never done this before.

The only clubs who have done this are the cap cheats like Melbourne and the Roosters.

In that sense it is genius from McFadden since our extra cap space is a legitimate side effect of being the far flung unattractive outpost of the NRL.

In that sense McFadden has found a way of turning our biggest weakness into a serious strength. By focusing our glut of money on halves we have created a point of difference that is boosting the development pathways of the club in a way that the Warriors have never seen before.

The word Depth gets used a lot, well this Australian depth we are talking about in a New Zealand system (unparalleled in NZ league history).

He is hacking the Salary cap game.

 

[3rdstriker]

The Warriors have never done this before.

The only clubs who have done this are the cap cheats like Melbourne and the Roosters.

In that sense it is genius from McFadden since our extra cap space is a legitimate side effect of being the far flung unattractive outpost of the NRL.

In that sense McFadden has found a way of turning our biggest weakness into a serious strength. By focusing our glut of money on halves we have created a point of difference that is boosting the development pathways of the club in a way that the Warriors have never seen before.

The word Depth gets used a lot, well this Australian depth we are talking about in a New Zealand system (unparalleled in NZ league history).

He is hacking the Salary cap game.

Very smart alright saving money and also who knows when Metcalf or Cht will go down I'd imagine Tanah would link well with Egan and our outside backs.
We're coming 1st in NswCup largely because of Tanah imo.

 

[3rdstriker]

The Warriors have never done this before.

The only clubs who have done this are the cap cheats like Melbourne and the Roosters.

In that sense it is genius from McFadden since our extra cap space is a legitimate side effect of being the far flung unattractive outpost of the NRL.

In that sense McFadden has found a way of turning our biggest weakness into a serious strength. By focusing our glut of money on halves we have created a point of difference that is boosting the development pathways of the club in a way that the Warriors have never seen before.

The word Depth gets used a lot, well this Australian depth we are talking about in a New Zealand system (unparalleled in NZ league history).

He is hacking the Salary cap game.

Last year and start of this year I was still in that mindset of man Damn where's all our signings?
But like you say to hold ya money like McFadden is doing is so good for our future prospects.

 

[Five&Last]

And I suspect strongly that the main reason we are paying him an amount that has him spurning the Cows is that Cappy wants a top half tuning up our Mighty 💙 Mighty NSW cup players to make them NRL ready.

He spurned them because he doesn't want to play hooker for them.

Make no mistake, he would jump at the opportunity to return to Australia on top 30 contract playing in the halves. No one is offering that. If we didn't take him last year, he was super league bound.

 

[Five&Last]

We're coming 1st in NswCup largely because of Tanah imo.

I wouldn't say that at all. We've dominated without him the last couple weeks. The team is stacked right across the park. I would say the forward pack is the reason they are number 1.

 

[Five&Last]

Not too sue what happens with TMM, you would have to assume he signs elsewhere. Boyd sticking around and they would want Jye Linnane having a full time starting spot in the cup team.

One thing is for absolute certain in my mind, Lussick won't be here next year. There is no way he'd be willing to play another year of prop/lock carting the ball up. He'll get an early release (probably take that Cows opportunity to replace Robson). They'll have more confidence in Healey getting minutes next year as the back up hooker. Makaia Tafua will be the 3rd string hooker and decent chance of debuting next year.

 

[3rdstriker]

I wouldn't say that at all. We've dominated without him the last couple weeks. The team is stacked right across the park. I would say the forward pack is the reason they are number 1.

When he wasn't there we have had to come back because we let the opposition in.
With Tanah the structures far better.