Recruitment Warriors 2026/2027 Recruitment & Retention

Warriors 2026/2027 Recruitment and Retention Discussion​

Player	2026​	2027​	2028​	2029​	2030​
Mitchell Barnett	✔​	✔​
Rocco Berry	✔​
Tanah Boyd	✔​
Kurt Capewell	✔​
Erin Clark	✔​	✔​
Wayde Egan	✔​	✔​
Kayliss Fatialofa	✔​	✔​
James Fisher-Harris	✔​	✔​	✔​
Jackson Ford	✔​	✔​
Morgan Gannon	✔​	✔​	✔​
Leka Halasima	✔​	✔​	✔​	✔​
Chanel Harris-Tavita	✔​
Sam Healey	✔​	✔​
Eddie Ieremia-Toeava	✔​	✔​	✔​
Alofiana Khan-Pereira	✔​	✔​	✔​
Jacob Laban	✔​	✔​	✔​	✔​
Ali Leiataua	✔​	✔​
Jye Linnane	✔​	✔​	✔​
Te Maire Martin	✔​
Haizyn Mellars	✔​	✔​	✔​
Luke Metcalf	✔​	✔​	✔​
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	✔​	✔​
Marata Niukore	✔​
Adam Pompey	✔​	✔​
Tanner Stowers-Smith	✔​	✔​	✔​
Taine Tuaupiki	✔​
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	✔​
Demitric Vaimauga	✔​	✔​	✔​
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak	✔​	✔​
Connor Bowden	U​	U​	✔​
Jett Cleary	S​	U​
Sio Kali	U​
Braelan Marsh	U​	U​	U​
Motu Pasikala	U​	U​

✔ = Signed to Top 30, C = Club option, M = Mutual Option, P = Player option, S = Signed to supplementary list, U = Unclear

2026 Top 30: 29/30
2026 Supplementary: 2/6

2027 Top 30: 20/30
2027 Supplementary: 0/6

2027 Gains: Nil
2027 Losses: Nil

Off contract and free to sign elsewhere for 2027: Rocco Berry, Tanah Boyd, Kurt Capewell, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Freddy Lussick, Te Maire Martin, Marata Niukore, Taine Tuaupiki, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
Will be off contract and free to sign elsewhere for 2028 from November 1st, 2026: Mitchell Barnett, Erin Clark, Jett Cleary, Wayde Egan, Kayliss Fatialofa, Jackson Ford, Sam Healey, Eddie Ieremia-Toeava, Ali Leiataua, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Motu Pasikala, Adam Pompey, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak

 

[Dannevegas]

Bears looking for a dummy half and leader type signing, wonder if Egan could be an option?

Hope so, or else they might end up with Healey

 

[Warriorsfan92]

I really like what we've done with all of these players - it's great planning having Metcalf, CHT, Boyd and TMM as your top tier, with Hansen, Cleary, Linnane, Thompson and Inch coming through behind them - that's a lot of talent... shows great foresight - wasn't that long ago when we were forced to play CNK at 6...

Cappy deserves his flowers on this one

 

[SouthernWorrier]

Cappy deserves his flowers on this one

... maybe hold off on the bouquets until we know there's genuine FG quality there, not just quantity. Shaping well for a tilt 27-28 but no guarantees. The only player in that lineup that would make most teams first grade shopping list is a fit Metcalf.

 

[Warriorsfan92]

... maybe hold off on the bouquets until we know there's genuine FG quality there, not just quantity. Shaping well for a tilt 27-28 but no guarantees. The only player in that lineup that would make most teams first grade shopping list is a fit Metcalf.

Hanson 22
Cleary
Inch 20
Linnane 20
Thompson 19

They don’t need to be FG quality yet. They’re playing at levels above their age grades & of those, Hanson & Thompson are dominating imo. Thompson was SG ball eligible but captained flegg. Linnane is top 30, and has huge green flags. Inch was ranked the best u18 rugby union player in New Zealand, and clearys development the last year has been exceptional.

Yes you’re probably right around Metcalf, but I’d suggest a number of teams would take CHT, bears don’t have a 6 currently. And in terms of first grade quality, I’d say the above list is almost as good as it gets in terms of potential & future first grade players..

 

[Cces]

Inch was ranked the best u18 rugby union player in New Zealand

Is this just one man with a YouTube accounts opinion? Or did he win some award?

clearys development the last year has been exceptional.

What areas in his game have seen the most improvement?

 

[WAH MAN]

What areas in his game have seen the most improvement?

Not injured during pre season is pretty good.

That's all I can think of.

 

[Warriorsfan92]

Is this just one man with a YouTube accounts opinion? Or did he win some award?

What areas in his game have seen the most improvement?

He started in the nz schools side & dominated, and earned himself a super rugby contract at 18, I’d say that’s prettt decent wouldn't you?

 

[Cces]

He started in the nz schools side & dominated, and earned himself a super rugby contract at 18, I’d say that’s prettt decent wouldn't you?

Making the NZ Secondary Schools rugby team is an awesome achievement. Claiming he was the best player in the country in his year isn't backed by facts though, just a YouTuber's opinion. He started against Samoa in a romp but was off the bench in their most important match against Australia, which was a loss, so the narrative you've created to say he dominated seems a stretch. Did he dominate in their loss to NZ Māori U18 too? No. He didn't start then either.
What Crusaders contract did he earn? A Super Rugby one? He was absent from the 2025 squad list. A typo?

 

[Canonball]

Making the NZ Secondary Schools rugby team is an awesome achievement. Claiming he was the best player in the country in his year isn't backed by facts though just a YouTuber's opinion. He started against Samoa in a romp but was off the bench in their most important match against Australia, which was a loss, so the narrative you've created to say he dominated seems a stretch. What Crusaders contract did he earn? A Super Rugby one?

They do that weird slightly creepy thing of actually ranking school boy union players - if he was number one it would've been mentioned at some point ... I don't care either way, he looks like a great talent and will end up being a very useful player imo

 

[sup42]

... maybe hold off on the bouquets until we know there's genuine FG quality there, not just quantity. Shaping well for a tilt 27-28 but no guarantees. The only player in that lineup that would make most teams first grade shopping list is a fit Metcalf.

There are no guarantees with any signing any club has ever made with talent their age.

Waiting to recognize Cappy's work is harsh imo.

Excuse the Capt obvious from me, not having a go, just in my flow.

Teen age signings are like buying yearlings at the Annual blood stock yards eh.
Some horses with great early form, just won't run in the big races.

McFadden deserves a lot of credit now, he has a nice stable of young halves and arguably one of the finest groupings in the NRL.

The main change Cappy has made to the Warriors future as a club, is that he has identified that halfback is the most urgent priority for this club in particular. More important than at other clubs (in relative terms, all clubs need halves depth - but Mcfadden sees the Warriors as needing a stock pile).

The reason we are hording halves I have stated before (to improve the ball playing skills of other local juniors from our NZ system). And the other reason, is that no top NRL halfback who is established elsewhere, has signed for the Warriors since Greg Alexander.

Ergo Cappy is addressing the no signings issue, the pay big overs issue, and the waiting for the next Stacey Jones or Shaun Johnson twice in thirty years cycle, reliance of local halves at junior level from within the NZ league system is the single biggest failing the Warriors recruitment since 1995.

 

[Cces]

Not injured during pre season is pretty good.

That's all I can think of.

There's this big misconception that Jett Cleary had an injury plauged 2024 but he played 7 SG Ball, 9 Jersey Flegg & also in the Sydney Shield comp for Brothers. Would have played more if he was first choice selection for Flegg

 

[WAH MAN]

There's this big misconception that Jett Cleary had an injury plauged 2024 but he played 7 SG Ball, 9 Jersey Flegg & also in the Sydney Shield comp for Brothers. Would have played more if he was first choice selection for Flegg

My misconception comes from his own words of having had a bunch of injuries. Not sure if it was only 2024 but it was in an interview he had early on with us.

 

[JaggedJ]

Another reason we're stockpiling Aussie halves is they know the systems way earlier than Kiwi halves.

They also on average tend to communicate better.

This becomes valuable for our young locals in other positions who are being taught what lines to run, where and how to position themselves etc because of that.

This is where our systems failed us previously, especially when we relied heavily on union converts in our junior ranks who tried to get by purely on skill and athleticism.

I've got no doubt our young forwards and outside backs will come into first grade better prepared than previous generations because of it.

 

[Noitall]

Go watch niche cache new video.

An Emerging New Zealand Warriors Team Ahead Of The 2026 Season — The Niche Cache

As part of tremendous depth at New Zealand Warriors, there is an exciting selection of players available who are on the rise through the Mt Smarts system.

theniche-cache.com

Was it the ones on here?

 

[SouthernWorrier]

Teen age signings are like buying yearlings at the Annual blood stock yards eh.
Some horses with great early form, just won't run in the big races.

That's my point. For example I like Tanah Boyd and if we're talking 'playing at levels over their age' he was QLD under 16, Under 18, under 20. Great early form. But realistically he's not going to win us a title.

Time will tell. I agree we should appreciate the long term approach they're taking including overcooking this problem area.

 

[WAH MAN]

That's my point. For example I like Tanah Boyd and if we're talking 'playing at levels over their age' he was QLD under 16, Under 18, under 20. Great early form. But realistically he's not going to win us a title.

Time will tell. I agree we should appreciate the long term approach they're taking including overcooking this problem area.

I hundred percent agree with you both but hope Tanah grows some confidence and starts strutting with it in full blown awesome mode.

Because I do not believe for one second that Metcalf will play the full season or be there at the business end of the season.