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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NRL Market Watch: Addin Fonua-Blake to check out Dragons, Bulldogs and Tigers over Christmas

One Sydney NRL club looks set for an early Christmas present with want-away Warriors forward Addin Fonua-Blake making a flying visit to determine his next destination, writes FATIMA KDOUH.


New Zealand Warriors forward Addin Fonua-Blake will return to Australia over the Christmas break to tour the facilities of the three Sydney clubs vying for the prized prop’s signature.
It’s expected Fonua-Blake will visit Canterbury, Wests Tigers and St George Illawarra in a move that will help the 28-year old determine which Sydney club will be his new home.
It comes as the Wests Tigers, who met with Fonua-Blake last Friday, prepare to table the Kiwi and Tongan international an offer, as soon as this week, for a deal that could run up to four years from 2025.
Tigers recruitment boss Scott Fulton met with Fonua-Blake at Haberfield Rowers last week to discuss a potential move to Concord.
Fulton, and his late father Bob, played a key role in Fonua-Blake’s arrival at Manly back in 2015 that connection could give the Tigers the upper hand in negotiations.
One of the NRL’s elite props, Fonua-Blake is on a deal worth around $1 million at the Warriors.

Addin Fonua-Blake meeting with Phil Gould.
It’s believed the Tigers are in a position to not only acquire Fonua-Blake but also star Penrith five-eighth Jarome Luai, who has reportedly been offered a four-year deal worth around $4.5 million for season 2025 onwards.
As well as meeting with the Dragons while he was in Sydney, Fonua-Blake, who is looked after by Sportsplayer Management, was snapped meeting with Canterbury supremo Phil Gould at the airport last Friday.
Like the Tigers, the Bulldogs are one of the few Sydney clubs with enough wriggle room in their salary cap to be able to meet Fonua-Blake’s hefty price tag.
The Bulldogs are believed to be the frontrunner in the chase for the gun prop’s signature, as the club ramps up its recruitment drive aimed at turning around the outfit’s on field fortunes.
Gould has made no secret of Canterbury’s need to add some power, starch and class to the struggling side’s engine room.
Fonua-Blake ticks all those boxes for Canterbury.
The club turned their attention to Fonua-Blake after a failed attempt to secure former Sydney Roosters premiership winner Sio Siua Taukeiaho.
Taukeiaho returned from England to join the Bulldogs only to have the deal fall through after it was revealed he required surgery on a foot injury that would prevent him from training during the pre-season.


New St George Illawarra head coach Shane Flanagan is also in the midst of a roster overhaul and has identified Fonua-Blake, who was part of the Dragons under 20s set-up before joining the Sea Eagles, as a recruitment target for 2025.
Fonua-Blake has three years left on his Warriors deal but will return to Sydney at the end of 2024 after the club granted him a release on compassionate grounds.
A request for an immediate release was rejected by the Warriors, but Fonua-Blake has since reaffirmed his commitment to the club for next season
 
Max King is a handy player.
They would be about 20% of the way to get AFB.
Need a marquee player and/or a major transfer fee on top of King.
I honestly feel King would be about the best middle we could expect. There just isn’t that many better than him that are remotely possible.
 
Interesting having a look over the bulldogs forum, someone reckons a JAC/AFB swap coming as JAC is on the outer at bulldogs. We know that’s not happening and apparently JAC shifted from melbourne to sydney to be closer to his daughter. Another poster said a Max King/AFB swap and it’s been mentioned eels are keen on JAC. All hypothetical but I wonder if we could end up with Max King and maybe Wiremu Greig or Joe Ofahengaue?
Hmmm what about afb for Greig and Ofahengaue plus a bit of freight?
They’d both be worth maybe 450,000 each?
Haven’t heard him mentioned with parra but I reckon they’d be tempted at that and if I was him I’d much rather go there than the dogs or dragons- he’s gonna get paid the same wherever he goes so if I was his manager I’d be pushing him to the stronger Sydney sides.
 
Hmmm what about afb for Greig and Ofahengaue plus a bit of freight?
They’d both be worth maybe 450,000 each?
Haven’t heard him mentioned with parra but I reckon they’d be tempted at that and if I was him I’d much rather go there than the dogs or dragons- he’s gonna get paid the same wherever he goes so if I was his manager I’d be pushing him to the stronger Sydney sides.
I had assumed he already had a club lined up and everything being made public was just everyone saving face. But when I saw the clubs he’s likely to go to I realised this mustn’t be the case.
 
Hmmm what about afb for Greig and Ofahengaue plus a bit of freight?
They’d both be worth maybe 450,000 each?
Haven’t heard him mentioned with parra but I reckon they’d be tempted at that and if I was him I’d much rather go there than the dogs or dragons- he’s gonna get paid the same wherever he goes so if I was his manager I’d be pushing him to the stronger Sydney sides.
Eels apparently keen on a fast winger, couldn’t see them wanting another expensive front rower but never know.
 
I had assumed he already had a club lined up and everything being made public was just everyone saving face. But when I saw the clubs he’s likely to go to I realised this mustn’t be the case.
I would be surprised if the dogs, tigers and dragons were the only ones with their feelers out- the other clubs are just more professional so u dont hear about it.
 
Need some mods to clean up all this dumb DWZ-speed chat on this thread
Sorry about that mate 😐

On topic. Most of the good recruitment options need some shrewd wheeling and dealing. I really dont know who would enhance our team that is actually available bar Joey Manu or seeing if Haas can get a compassionate grounds release to join us immediately. I'd also try Jahrome Hughes on compassionate grounds and Fisher hyphen Harris on compassionate grounds. This compassionate grounds thing has its merits
 
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