Recruitment Warriors 2026/2027 Recruitment & Retention

[Hitro]

I remember in an interview in the last year Cappy talking about as a development club the hardest part was that you're gonna lose some good players along the way. At the time he was talking about Kaawyn Paterson.

Is Crosby good? definitely. Is someone like Paea Sikuvea or Bishop Neal going to be better? probably.

 

[Hitro]

And when penrith are taking our seconds you know we are doing something right!

 

[Rick O’Shay]

And when penrith are taking our seconds you know we are doing something right!

Plus, if these kids are any good they should develop in that system and then be available to come home when required. Win Win.

 

[Boats n Hoes]

Katoa is the only avoidable loss but even then you have to ask if we get anywhere near Storm Katoa.

I think under Webby there wouldve been a good chance of that happening.......under Brown tho no chance.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

I think under Webby there wouldve been a good chance of that happening.......under Brown tho no chance.

Do you think katoa would have a good kick chase by now under webby?

 

[Five&Last]

I remember in an interview in the last year Cappy talking about as a development club the hardest part was that you're gonna lose some good players along the way. At the time he was talking about Kaawyn Paterson.

Is Crosby good? definitely. Is someone like Paea Sikuvea or Bishop Neal going to be better? probably.

Great take.

Have to take Crosby's age into account and the fact that development isn't a straight linear line.

Taking Paea Sikuvea for example, hasn't played NSW cup yet but I think will make his first grade debut in the final rounds of next year. He's 3 years younger than Crosby.

Bishop's probably so young that he isn't directly competing with Crosby just yet.

As long as we're keeping the right ones.

I think Kaawyn Patterson will end up being the right call (too small for first grade?) but then there will likely be some shockers (Eli Katoa, Lucian Mikaele? Karapani?)

 

[CWC]

So what are they doing with this Thompson kid? Is he a 6 or 7? Debut in ‘27 or ‘28?

 

[JaggedJ]

So what are they doing with this Thompson kid? Is he a 6 or 7? Debut in ‘27 or ‘28?

Will probably follow the Cleary path and spend 2026 in Flegg with perhaps an occasional NSW Cup appearance when injuries strike.

All 4 of our halves this year are off contract in 2026 with Linnane and Cleary already signed to take a couple of spots in 2027.

I think Linnane will debut 2026, Cleary in 27 and Thompson in 28 if they're good enough of course. We'll try to avoid throwing too many in at the same time.

By debut I mean be in line to debut because they've entered the top 30. Thompson will need to re-sign most likely to reach that point.

 

[Hitro]

Great take.

Have to take Crosby's age into account and the fact that development isn't a straight linear line.

Taking Paea Sikuvea for example, hasn't played NSW cup yet but I think will make his first grade debut in the final rounds of next year. He's 3 years younger than Crosby.

Bishop's probably so young that he isn't directly competing with Crosby just yet.

As long as we're keeping the right ones.

I think Kaawyn Patterson will end up being the right call (too small for first grade?) but then there will likely be some shockers (Eli Katoa, Lucian Mikaele? Karapani?)

Agree age is probably a factor, but it seems like the bar is just much higher now for talent they are going to work hard to retain, which is a great thing.

We seem to have no problems recruiting Aussie dummy half’s, so maybe that played against Kaawyn. That and he probably asked for a higher contract than we were willing to give. Lucian sounds similar, wanted a contract for his brother i think.

Karapani seems from the outside that he was somewhat a victim of Covid pathway breakdown, but also that he had some maturing to do. Subsequently got kicked out of Souths and only now living up to potential. Might never have got there in our system

 

[Kaos A.D.]

I remember in an interview in the last year Cappy talking about as a development club the hardest part was that you're gonna lose some good players along the way. At the time he was talking about Kaawyn Paterson.

Is Crosby good? definitely. Is someone like Paea Sikuvea or Bishop Neal going to be better? probably.

Can't wait till Bishop Neal moves up the grades and see his body clashing with bigger bodies...

 

[Hitro]

Can't wait till Bishop Neal moves up the grades and see his body clashing with bigger bodies...

I hope he's able to replicate that genuine game-breaking form from the HM final in higher grades - interesting to see if they keep running him on an edge like olakau'atu, or transition him to middle like Haas. Huge ceiling.

 

[Boston Boy]

I hope he's able to replicate that genuine game-breaking form from the HM final in higher grades - interesting to see if they keep running him on an edge like olakau'atu, or transition him to middle like Haas. Huge ceiling.

Haas is a freak, he must have the lungs of an Ox. So fit and powerful. I would play Neale on the edge and see if his fitness levels improve.

 

[Hitro]

I think some of our biggest challenges on roster are going to be

1. Next year, in the forwards, we currently have no forwards between 23 and 28. Can the current crop of zesty boys step up to being forward pack leaders in their own right by 2027 when the powers of Barnett, Fish, Marata, Ford and Clark start to fade and retire? If they can't, we'd have to go to market to bring in others to fill the void, which will potentially been seen as us signing over the next batch of youngsters coming through Ball/Flegg around 2027. We effectively have a COVID sized hole where 25 years old locals (i.e. Katoa) should be who would be stepping up. I appreciate not having these 25 year olds mean we can bring more zesty through now.

2. Can we start recruiting and producing outside backs of the quality of the forwards we have in the pipeline? Big fan of Kali, and really rate Lemana and a couple of others, but it seems like there's not as much X factor coming through out wide. Not sure if this is where Union is beating us at 17 year old level (i.e. Siale Pahulu) or not. We also suffer from the COVID hole here too, which is to a degree explains AKP and Haizyn Mellars signings. I can see this may be less of an issue as maybe OBs peak earlier?

3. If we can't fill these gaps or have the zesty boys step up, can we convince people like Metcalf that our premiership window is open now and not opening later when the zesty boys all hit their mid 20's and are coming into their dominant years.

 

[Noitall]

I hope he's able to replicate that genuine game-breaking form from the HM final in higher grades - interesting to see if they keep running him on an edge like olakau'atu, or transition him to middle like Haas. Huge ceiling.

Haas is a freak, he must have the lungs of an Ox. So fit and powerful. I would play Neale on the edge and see if his fitness levels improve.

Promising South Island players locked in until 2028

One New Zealand Warriors lock in Makaia Tafua, Jason Salalilo and Bishop Neal until 2028.

www.warriors.kiwi

This article mentions they see him as an edge forward, not that it necessarily means he’ll stay there? I reckon he plays nsw cup next year at some point

 

[Hitro]

Promising South Island players locked in until 2028

One New Zealand Warriors lock in Makaia Tafua, Jason Salalilo and Bishop Neal until 2028.

www.warriors.kiwi

This article mentions they see him as an edge forward, not that it necessarily means he’ll stay there? I reckon he plays nsw cup next year at some point

Yeah I hope they give him a bit of time in Ball and skip flegg and get him straight into cup. The only challenge will be a bit of a logjam in Cup for backrowers next year.

If you take the way they handled EIT as an example, he was moved around from Edge to middle last cup season, played him on an edge all year in cup this year then debuted him as a middle NRL level. So who knows! In general we have more edges than middles coming through so someone is likely going to need to move across.

 

[Hitro]

Promising South Island players locked in until 2028

One New Zealand Warriors lock in Makaia Tafua, Jason Salalilo and Bishop Neal until 2028.

www.warriors.kiwi

This article mentions they see him as an edge forward, not that it necessarily means he’ll stay there? I reckon he plays nsw cup next year at some point

Exciting back rower Sifakula signs until 2025

One New Zealand Warriors secure back rower Demitric Sifakula to the end of the 2025 season.

www.warriors.kiwi

This one calls Demitric a back rower as well

 

[Noitall]

Yeah I hope they give him a bit of time in Ball and skip flegg and get him straight into cup. The only challenge will be a bit of a logjam in Cup for backrowers next year.

If you take the way they handled EIT as an example, he was moved around from Edge to middle last cup season, played him on an edge all year in cup this year then debuted him as a middle NRL level. So who knows! In general we have more edges than middles coming through so someone is likely going to need to move across.

Will be 18 next year and probably bigger than the 6 foot 4, 113kg player he is now. You could be right that he shifts into the middle. Really like Salalilo too, looks like the Moses Leota mould of a smaller prop with physical carries

 

[Hitro]

Will be 18 next year and probably bigger than the 6 foot 4, 113kg player he is now. You could be right that he shifts into the middle. Really like Salalilo too, looks like the Moses Leota mould of a smaller prop with physical carries

Will be interesting to see out of Laban, Leka, Kayliss, Eddie and Bishop Neal who they want in the middle. It might be Eddie, his workrate is next level and that might suit him. Leka and Neal as your edges would be trouble for the opposition, but Webby seems to love an 80 minute back rower, which may or may not be what Neal is capable of.

Either way, those five are all different kinds of players which is great.

 

[Kaos A.D.]

Will be 18 next year and probably bigger than the 6 foot 4, 113kg player he is now. You could be right that he shifts into the middle. Really like Salalilo too, looks like the Moses Leota mould of a smaller prop with physical carries

Will be interesting to see out of Laban, Leka, Kayliss, Eddie and Bishop Neal who they want in the middle. It might be Eddie, his workrate is next level and that might suit him. Leka and Neal as your edges would be trouble for the opposition, but Webby seems to love an 80 minute back rower, which may or may not be what Neal is capable of.

Either way, those five are all different kinds of players which is great.

Id probably prefer to see Neal move to the front at some stage with EIT, one tall and rangy with a motor and Neal with a imposing body and a step, thats assuming he steps up into NRL level.... the top teams have a imposing body, thats where we lack since AFB left... I also want to see Webby blood in a wing replacement for DWZ this season, whether thats Mellars or Kali, let them fight it out, but it needs to be done, while Im assuming AKP is being brought in to replace RTS.... everything else seems in place with Leka, Laban, Kayliss, Gannon.... exciting times

 

[Noitall]

Will be interesting to see out of Laban, Leka, Kayliss, Eddie and Bishop Neal who they want in the middle. It might be Eddie, his workrate is next level and that might suit him. Leka and Neal as your edges would be trouble for the opposition, but Webby seems to love an 80 minute back rower, which may or may not be what Neal is capable of.

Either way, those five are all different kinds of players which is great.

I think either of Halasima or EIT could become 80 minute edge forwards, Halasima seems an option to replace Capewell with his ability to fill centre too? Fatialofa gives the impression of impact off the bench running threatening lines against tiring defenders. Neal or Laban have the size as does EIT with a few more kilos. We’ve some major talent coming through here, and the best thing is they’ve mentioned they want to stay together and deliver a premiership. Exciting times