Recruitment Warriors 2024/2025 Recruitment & Retention

Warriors 2024/2025 Recruitment & Retention Discussion
key: T = Team option, M = Mutual option, P = Player option, D = Development contract

Confirmed Top 30 2024: 28/30
Confirmed Development 2024: 5/6

Confirmed Top 30 2025: 25/30
Confirmed Development 2025: 1/6

2025 Gains: Nil
2025 Losses: Addin Fonua-Blake (Sharks)
 
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Transfer Hub: Sharks stay was a Warrior until the last minute​

Braden Hamlin-Uele was just an hour away from officially becoming a New Zealand Warrior before Cronulla reached out to his management with one final offer to keep him in the Shire.
So convinced was he that he was heading back to Auckland for the 2025 season, Hamlin-Uele had even started looking at accommodation, working out moving costs and was even daring to dream about being elevated to the Warriors’ leadership group.
Hamlin-Uele passed on the reported three-year $2.2 million Warriors contract to settle for two years at the Sharks – but only now can it be revealed how close the prop came to being lost to the Shire.
Instead, he will remain with Cronulla and be joined by his former Junior Kiwis roommate Addin Fonua-Blake next year to form one of the most damaging front-row pairings in the game.
Cronulla prop Braden Hamlin-Uele is a wanted man.

NRL player movements

NRL transfer hub: Sharks star was an hour away from sealing a $2.2m deal, before everything changed

“The Warriors set a deadline for last Friday,” Hamlin-Uele said. “I was accommodating that deadline, and we’re talking about half an hour to an hour before I was ready to sign – I thought I was gone.
“The figure from the Warriors was great, financially the deal was amazing, and the three years was great security.
“It got to 8.30pm, it was 10.30pm over there, and the Sharks came to my manager with the last offer and said, ‘We don’t want him to leave, here is our best offer’.
 

Transfer Hub: Sharks stay was a Warrior until the last minute​

Braden Hamlin-Uele was just an hour away from officially becoming a New Zealand Warrior before Cronulla reached out to his management with one final offer to keep him in the Shire.
So convinced was he that he was heading back to Auckland for the 2025 season, Hamlin-Uele had even started looking at accommodation, working out moving costs and was even daring to dream about being elevated to the Warriors’ leadership group.
Hamlin-Uele passed on the reported three-year $2.2 million Warriors contract to settle for two years at the Sharks – but only now can it be revealed how close the prop came to being lost to the Shire.
Instead, he will remain with Cronulla and be joined by his former Junior Kiwis roommate Addin Fonua-Blake next year to form one of the most damaging front-row pairings in the game.
Cronulla prop Braden Hamlin-Uele is a wanted man.

NRL player movements

NRL transfer hub: Sharks star was an hour away from sealing a $2.2m deal, before everything changed

“The Warriors set a deadline for last Friday,” Hamlin-Uele said. “I was accommodating that deadline, and we’re talking about half an hour to an hour before I was ready to sign – I thought I was gone.
“The figure from the Warriors was great, financially the deal was amazing, and the three years was great security.
“It got to 8.30pm, it was 10.30pm over there, and the Sharks came to my manager with the last offer and said, ‘We don’t want him to leave, here is our best offer’.
Anyone else get the feeling we've been played by the dirty Sharks again?
 
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Transfer Hub: Sharks stay was a Warrior until the last minute​

Braden Hamlin-Uele was just an hour away from officially becoming a New Zealand Warrior before Cronulla reached out to his management with one final offer to keep him in the Shire.
So convinced was he that he was heading back to Auckland for the 2025 season, Hamlin-Uele had even started looking at accommodation, working out moving costs and was even daring to dream about being elevated to the Warriors’ leadership group.
Hamlin-Uele passed on the reported three-year $2.2 million Warriors contract to settle for two years at the Sharks – but only now can it be revealed how close the prop came to being lost to the Shire.
Instead, he will remain with Cronulla and be joined by his former Junior Kiwis roommate Addin Fonua-Blake next year to form one of the most damaging front-row pairings in the game.
Cronulla prop Braden Hamlin-Uele is a wanted man.

NRL player movements

NRL transfer hub: Sharks star was an hour away from sealing a $2.2m deal, before everything changed

“The Warriors set a deadline for last Friday,” Hamlin-Uele said. “I was accommodating that deadline, and we’re talking about half an hour to an hour before I was ready to sign – I thought I was gone.
“The figure from the Warriors was great, financially the deal was amazing, and the three years was great security.
“It got to 8.30pm, it was 10.30pm over there, and the Sharks came to my manager with the last offer and said, ‘We don’t want him to leave, here is our best offer’.
big deal...who cares..not me lol
 
It is going to be very hard to prise players away from their incumbent clubs now with the new rules. The current club has a lot more power, which is probably a good thing in general. For us, it makes us getting players from across the ditch much, much harder. You wouldn't want to be Cappy/George...must be infuriating with all of the other woodworms in the players ears.

I'm pretty happy to miss out on BHU though.
 
Any decent agent will be demanding atleast the same overpriced deal for their clients from the Warriors. It's a shame that 1) the club offered that insane deal 2) that it became public.
Is it all bad though if it causes agents to agitate for releases for their players, knowing the dollars are on offer there?
 
Any decent agent will be demanding atleast the same overpriced deal for their clients from the Warriors. It's a shame that 1) the club offered that insane deal 2) that it became public.

Same old problem though.

Salary cap unspent is dead money.

The Warriors have far less options in the market place than the rest of Australia....so....doing the maths...you are better spending the money on someone ok but not great....rather than taking sloppy seconds from the no one really wants them basket.
 
Any decent agent will be demanding atleast the same overpriced deal for their clients from the Warriors. It's a shame that 1) the club offered that insane deal 2) that it became public.
You have to wonder who leaked that though? Mostly likely his management and if that’s the case there’s a good chance it was inflated too to try get the best possible deal from the sharks.
I hope.
 
You have to wonder who leaked that though? Mostly likely his management and if that’s the case there’s a good chance it was inflated too to try get the best possible deal from the sharks.
I hope.
100% his manager. Looking at who else they manage, alot their guys have had their potential deals come through well before being signed. Oloapu, Adam Elliott, David Fifita, Garrick, Burton off the top of my head have all had their contract situations rolling around in media weeks early.
 
Are we still looking for props, Bunty fits the experienced category and Ale has been well blooded now. That means as middles there is AFB, Barnett, Niukore, Tohu. Zyon Maiu’u, TSS.. a number are rookies but I do not see a lack of depth.
It lacks when you take AFB out of the equation. But I think in Barnett and niikore we would be okay until they nab another top line prop. I think Leo Thompson and Neame could still be future targets alongside JFH?
 
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