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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[BlackToko88]

IMO Niukore is blocking valuable game time for some of our juniors.
Experience is great to have but the player has to make the team on merit.
He is our least penetrative runner and doesn't bang on D like he used to.
I challenge anyone to name all the positives that he has brought this year and why he should be retained.
Even at half his supposed salary he would be grossly overpaid.
If Webby continues to pick up then this is his role. I would have him as a starting prop to go all in for the first 20, fold some c**** and then get out of the way and thats only because Barney, Ford and Laban are out.

I can name one positive from Niukore. He won me $110 as sportbet had him paying $11 as any time try scorer

 

[Dannevegas]

Yeah I’d be chasing simonson, Kelly & Sami for sure. They’re exactly who we need for 2026 & onwards.

.

 

[Dannevegas]

I am 100% with you. Kali is a strike centre, not as robust as Leka but he has similar attributes but with probably a bit more speed and a slighter builder, if he can avoid major injuries I think he could really be something special. Re Mason Barber I would have no issues offering him BIG money NOW and a long contract. If you think the likes of Ponga, Reece W, this kid has all the attributes of a star. More in the long athletic Inglis mood, but wouldn't want to put that pressure on him. We should go all in on him!

Ye, Sio Kali is Leka 2.0 just a quicker back version there strength in contact for their size is real impressive. Our 2 most robust, mercurial players.
Fuck I’ve been going on about him just he seems to be getting overlooked.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Mate they have hardly been rushed.
Throw in Demi and TSS.
They are ready now.

Are you actually saying that Niukore is good enough to hold a spot.

For one more season yes

 

[Damo]

Ye, Sio Kali is Leka 2.0 just a quicker back version there strength in contact for their size is real impressive. Our 2 most robust, mercurial players.
Fuck I’ve been going on about him just he seems to be getting overlooked.

The fact you say Sio Kali is robust says a lot. Man has been injured more than not over the last few years

 

[tajhay]

Are you actually saying that Niukore is good enough to hold a spot.

The club is not exactly utilising Marata effectively either tbh.

64 metres per game and 22 tackles a game at 84%. 0 offloads.

He does not fit into the model that Webby plays the game.

 

[Ref]

I can name one positive from Niukore. He won me $110 as sportbet had him paying $11 as any time try scorer

$11.00 seems a bit light lol.

 

[Ref]

For one more season yes

So he is your bench middle/edge from an earlier post.
I feel he has done his job merging the juniors in but that have all usurped him.

 

[CWC]

The club is not exactly utilising Marata effectively either tbh.

64 metres per game and 22 tackles a game at 84%. 0 offloads.

He does not fit into the model that Webby plays the game.

I really hope we release him in the off-season, save cap and buy others

 

[Jaffa J]

Time to sign an elite centre Rocco is broken

 

[Kestrel84]

Time to sign an elite centre Rocco is broken

When Rocco plays, we are a better team. Unfortunately he is always broken. You can't be a successful team with a permanently broken part.

Different position, but Tommy Turbo is a great player but hasn't helped the Sea Eagles win a title. Also, Turbo is a much better player, but anyway..

 

[Jaffa J]

When Rocco plays, we are a better team. Unfortunately he is always broken. You can't be a successful team with a permanently broken part.

Different position, but Tommy Turbo is a great player but hasn't helped the Sea Eagles win a title. Also, Turbo is a much better player, but anyway..

I like Rocco but his impact is massively overrated imo his elite kick chasing isn’t worth it and ignores the other parts of his game which haven’t developed

 

[CWC]

Honestly CNK to centre since he’s the only one with backs speed and can put up a good chasing game, nobody else can chase…sign a Ponga or just put TT at the back.

 

[Kestrel84]

I like Rocco but his impact is massively overrated imo his elite kick chasing isn’t worth it and ignores the other parts of his game which haven’t developed

Mindful that this is the Recruitment thread, but in every game Rocco has played (for however long he stayed on the field) we look like a better team than without him. So I wouldn't say he is overrated. If we perform better with him, that is significant.

 

[WHB]

View attachment 14375
.

Sami would add alot to our backline.
One of them players who has the ability to create an opportunity every time he touches the ball.
He would have to know he would be playing center every 2nd or 3rd game for an injured Berry

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Man I would love to know what McFadden thi ks when watching that game last night.

 

[Playdaball]

Man I would love to know what McFadden thi ks when watching that game last night.

He may be thinking that the junior pathways recruitment is working well with Leka, Demetric, Laban, EIT, Healey all looking good.
On the other hand , perhaps he believes that the club signed some of the older guys for too long eg DWZ, Marata, CNK and as a result blocking the pathways or alternatively, the path to signing speedy, experienced players.

Who knows?

 

[Boats n Hoes]

Man I would love to know what McFadden thi ks when watching that game last night.

Tbh i thought not replacing Montoya leaving only Kosi as your back up winger was a monumental fuck up on his part.

Given they've preferred Capewell to cover centre at times also makes the signing of Harper another head scratcher.

Cappy's been lauded on here at times and while im sure he's doing a good job in pathways and development......im not sure he has enough "pull" in the recruitment game particulary when in comes from signing outside the club.......seems their all no names/unwanted/young developers, certainly not established first grade ready types......clearly gone all in on a few of those young uns to kick on......Healy certainly looks the goods but jury's still out on a number of them,

 

[Ferdie]

2026 squad

Props - 4 positions in the playing 17
- 5 specific props, 1 depth prop
- Barnett, fish, ford, Demetric, tanner
- We are short here unless some edges play middle rotation, need to recruit one.

Locks - 1 position in the playing 17
2 specific locks, 1 depth
- Clark, Gannon
- satisfactory squad allocation

Hookers - 1 or 2 depending on tactics in the 17
- 3 hookers, 1-2 depth
- Egan, Healey, lussick
- satisfactory squad depth

Edges - 3 positions in the playing 17
- 6 edges, 3 depth (depending on eit/marata playing middle)
- Capewell, Leka, niukore, Laban, eit, kayliss
- over prescribed here, unless eit/niukore plays a bench middle role. Need to release one or two.

Halves - 2 positions in playing 17
- 5 halves, 3 depth, including development contract
- Metcalf, CHT, TMM, Boyd, linnane, Cleary (dev)
- over prescribed here but TMM been playing 14. Need to release one.

Centres - 2 positions playing 17
-3 centre's, 1 depth
- Pompey, Berry, ali
- lack depth here desperately. Can’t keep moving Capewell to centre, not up to it. Need to recruit.

Wingers - 2 positions in playing 17
- 3 wingers, 1 depth
- roger, DWZ, haizyn
- lack depth here, can play taine out of position if needed. Need to recruit.

Fullbacks - 1 position in 17
- 2 fullbacks, 1 depth
- cnk, taine
- satisfactory squad depth

Analysis:

We are short 1 middle, 1 centre, 1 winger. We’re over prescribed in the halves, and edge back row. Flexibility in the middle with EIT & Niukore able to shift to middle, so can get away with current depth. Desperately need another outside back, as cannot afford to put capes at centre. We’re 1 injury away from this & given the health status of both Berry & Ali (our 2nd/3rd best centres), this is of immediate attention.

Recruitment focus:
- We need to move on from niukore, and Capewell in 2027. Back the young players to solidify the edges, with more talent coming through every year.

- we need to offload 1-2 halves, TMM and/or Boyd going into 27. Linnane on a 3 year deal & Cleary to be promoted to top 30.

- we need to recruit a young, experienced middle with upside potential, Moale fits this bill. With fish & barnett not getting any younger & our development props still years away we need to recruit externally.

- our squad balance is out of whack, with our edges hugely over prescribed, half’s too, & centres desperately lack depth, going into 2026, & 2027. With both wingers the wrong side of 30, we need to identify another experienced winger to bring in, or promote kali & back him. Probably both. Roger likely gone in 2027 (our best winger).

Nice analysis, There's a few tweaks that I think might happen in the off season, that could change those positional depth charts:
1. Kayliss spends all off season training at left centre. This should be an easier transition as he's been a left edge forward this season. Ali and Pompey can play both sides and Rocco is a specialist on the right, so a specialist left will compliment the make up of squad. He'd likely start the season in cup (where there will be centre vacancies with both MGT and hopefully Harper leaving), but would likely get regular first grade starts with the injury rates of Ali and Rocco.
2. TMM spends the off season training at hooker and we release Lussick (even if we have to pay him out). TMM becomes the official 14 for 2026.
3. Niukore officially becomes a middle forward, freeing up game time for the young guys coming through on the edge. With both Capewell and Niukore coming off contract at the same time, we don't want to be replacing both edge forwards at the same time after 2026, or be in a position where we have to resign one of them because the younger guys aren't ready yet.

 

[Billyspleen75]

Apparently Tommy Talau is leaving Manly.
I'd put him in the Simonsson/Sami basket of decent options