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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The talking heads going on about having 5 halfs on the books is clueslessness. CHT will be a utility - 12 months of eating taro and corned beef on his koros plantation should've bulked him up (has anyone got a recent pic?) The rest we can easily keep with Johnson only signing yearly till he's done (who wouldn't want to train alongside the master?)
In terms of middles, Bunty is going through body recomp to lower his center of mass making his running style more effective. (will he develop an offload?)
Curran is a year or two from taking over as lock.
We have a handful of promising juniors ready to step up to AFBs clear standard, of which only a few will last (money is on Zyon Maiu’u next year and Halasima the next)
If we had the cash to go to market (which I don't think we do competitively) we throw the checkbook at Aloiai or Tapine. (I'll bet Hamlin-Uele is regretting not getting on the bandwagon)
Next few years will be trialing the rookies, keeping the heartiest ones and paying a journeyman to come over and keep their standard high - Twal doesn't seem like a silly option in that case.
 
I would love it if he joined the boys for a pre season again but by the talk of wanting time with family in not playing for the Kiwis, perhaps not? He knows what he needs to do by now if he’s serious about wanting to win a premiership.
Warriors are in AK Nz. Pre- season is in AK Nz. Family is in AK Nz.
Pre-season training starts early November with a break for Xmas with family.
Training starts after New Years in AK Nz.
What part of that means SJ won't be spending time with family?
Just the Kiwis?
SJ will be joining the boys at pre-season.
 
You mean the forum doesn’t actually make the signings?
Damn what a waste of 29 pages that was then.
We are all armchair critics and know who to sign. Difference now in all of world sport, you need the character and skill set to fit in with the coach and his beliefs. Case in point, RTS’ interview this week. Until Webby made his video pitch, he was as all in finishing his career in Japan club rugby.

You are a d@ck… but then again you know what’s best
 
Just finished watching Once a Warrior with RTS...the passion that man has for the game and the desire he has to win for the club is second to none. Couple that with his professionalism and I see it being such a missing piece of the puzzle in that centre position. Got me pumped!

Re: recruitment - I dont think we need a lot else tbh (all being equal and everyone/majority staying healthy throughout the season), but I do think like the majority have said we need another middle. Not just any old middle though, but a consistent metre eater. AFB goes down we are in strife. Bunty just doesnt have the endurance and leaving it all to Mitch who is an edge recently turned middle would leave us with little go forward and rely on others for those metres (Tohu im looking at you) that will then negate their strengths.

I think the boys will have learnt and grown so much as a unit and as individuals this year that there will be improvement again, and I just dont see us dropping away like we have done other years where we have pushed high on the ladder. Its actually quite comforting to know we arent going to be recruiting wildly and flashing cash at all comers. Back the boys we got.
 
Just finished watching Once a Warrior with RTS...the passion that man has for the game and the desire he has to win for the club is second to none. Couple that with his professionalism and I see it being such a missing piece of the puzzle in that centre position. Got me pumped!

Re: recruitment - I dont think we need a lot else tbh (all being equal and everyone/majority staying healthy throughout the season), but I do think like the majority have said we need another middle. Not just any old middle though, but a consistent metre eater. AFB goes down we are in strife. Bunty just doesnt have the endurance and leaving it all to Mitch who is an edge recently turned middle would leave us with little go forward and rely on others for those metres (Tohu im looking at you) that will then negate their strengths.

I think the boys will have learnt and grown so much as a unit and as individuals this year that there will be improvement again, and I just dont see us dropping away like we have done other years where we have pushed high on the ladder. Its actually quite comforting to know we arent going to be recruiting wildly and flashing cash at all comers. Back the boys we got.
I feel like Barnett could be a second rower turned prop JFH type with perhaps a bit more muscle in the offseason with his footwork and passing game if we got a threatening second rower too but still the conundrum of if AFB goes down. The top teams in the broncos and panthers have 4 solid props in their rotation- panthers have JFH, Leota, Leniu, Lindsay Smith- broncos have Haas, Flegler, Palasia, Taupau though panthers losing Leniu and broncos losing Flegler and Palasia.
Our rotation could be?
AFB(definitely)
Barnett(could be starting prop if we recruit a top second rower or strong enough in prop/second row/lock to be bench cover and recruit a metre eating prop or second row. Many options)
Bunty(perhaps could be part of a rotation?)
Tevaga(just feel like he couldn’t lift in intensity when finals time came and lacks the size to compete with the top packs)
Tohu(goes to prop and Tevaga or Ale lock with Walker off the bench? Not a fan of this, his body is struggling enough and his link play is first class)
Zyon Maiu’u(can definitely see him filling a Leniu type role and bringing crazy energy off the bench, just worry about him being expected to make an impact in his debut season)
Ale(could be an option but a rotation of AFB, Barnett, Bunty, Ale struggled at times against big packs)
Every way you look at it we lack the metre eating prop you mention and ideally with experience if the unthinkable happens.
 
Agree with those suggesting to beat the top 4 teams our prop rotation needs revision, our mobile pack was good but exposed at the business end

If someone pops up great, or can we talk someone out of their contract, maybe ?

For me use our UK connections and see if someone can and go to war with us

But the true point of this ramble, and yes I have zero knowledge of our juniors, but is to bring them up

They already on the books
They homegrown
It’s what Brisbane and Penrith do and for now they are the benchmark
 
Agree with those suggesting to beat the top 4 teams our prop rotation needs revision, our mobile pack was good but exposed at the business end

If someone pops up great, or can we talk someone out of their contract, maybe ?

For me use our UK connections and see if someone can and go to war with us

But the true point of this ramble, and yes I have zero knowledge of our juniors, but is to bring them up

They already on the books
They homegrown
It’s what Brisbane and Penrith do and for now they are the benchmark
Guess an option is shift Niukore to front row all the time but rather he stays put personally. Can see Zyon Maiu’u perhaps on the verge as far as our young homegrown talent to promote but out of the other young props in nsw cup like Isaiah Vagana or Tanner Stowers Smith, they still look a bit away
 
Our defence of the broncos won't get fixed by adding an alpha prop, it might help but there is more to it. We have to have more in the tackle and win the ruck to stop that and its more in the entire middle, I think more work on line speed in the offseason might help too. We got run through by Nelson as well this year so we need to find a way to stop it.
I do also want another good prop by the way, just don't think that's the answer to this problem.
 
Our defence of the broncos won't get fixed by adding an alpha prop, it might help but there is more to it. We have to have more in the tackle and win the ruck to stop that and its more in the entire middle, I think more work on line speed in the offseason might help too. We got run through by Nelson as well this year so we need to find a way to stop it.
I do also want another good prop by the way, just don't think that's the answer to this problem.
Play that game at Mt Smart, see how good the Shetlands go. They have had a rails run for as long as I care to remember. Probably there 10th game in 5 years in Sydney this weekend.
 
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