Recruitment Warriors 2024/2025 Recruitment & Retention

Warriors 2024/2025 Recruitment & Retention Discussion
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-​	Player​	2024​	2025​	2026​	2027​	2028​
1	Bunty Afoa	✔	✔
2	Tom Ale	✔	✔
3	Mitchell Barnett	✔	✔	✔	✔
4	The Greatest of All-Time	✔	✔	✔
5	Kurt Capewell	✔	✔	✔
6	Wayde Egan	✔	✔	✔	✔
7	Addin Fonua-Blake	✔
8	Jackson Ford	✔	✔
9	Leka Halasima	✔	✔	✔	✔
10	Tohu Harris	✔	✔
11	Chanel Harris-Tavita	✔	✔	M
12	Shaun Johnson	✔
13	Edward Kosi	✔	✔
14	Jacob Laban	✔	✔	✔
15	Ali Leiataua	✔	✔
16	Freddy Lussick	✔	✔	✔
17	Zyon Maiu’u	✔	✔	✔
18	Te Maire Martin	✔	✔
19	Luke Metcalf	✔	✔	✔
20	Marcelo Montoya	✔	✔
21	Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	✔	✔
22	Marata Niukore	✔	✔	✔
23	Adam Pompey	✔	✔
24	Demitric Sifakula	✔	✔	C
25	Jazz Tevaga	✔
26	Taine Tuaupiki	✔	✔
27	Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	✔	✔	✔
28	Dylan Walker	✔	✔
29	Dallin Watene-Zelezniak	✔	✔
D1	Ben Farr	D
D2	Etuane Fukofuka	D
D3	Patrick Moimoi	D
D4	Tanner Stowers-Smith	D	D
-	Jett Cleary	-	D	D	D
-	James Fisher-Harris	-	✔	✔	✔	✔
-	Kalani Going	-	D
-	Motu Pasikala	-	✔	✔	✔

key: C = Club option, M = Mutual option, P = Player option, D = Development contract

Confirmed Top 30 2024: 29/30
Confirmed Development 2024: 4/6

Confirmed Top 30 2025: 28/30
Confirmed Development 2025: 4/6

2025 Gains: James Fisher-Harris (Panthers), Jett Cleary (Panthers Pathways), Kahu Capper (Roosters Pathways)
2025 Losses: Addin Fonua-Blake (Sharks), Jazz Tevaga (Contract Expired), Shaun Johnson (Retirement)
2025 Off Contract: Nil

 

[JaggedJ]

Correct. The next best thing is CHT in my opinion.

When CHT is the next best thing you don't really have a "next best" thing.

Our season pretty much rides and dies with SJ and AFB.

 

[Inruin]

When CHT is the next best thing you don't really have a "next best" thing.

Our season pretty much rides and dies with SJ and AFB.

Yes, we are in agreement. But you also can't leave the team list blank at 7 and take the field with 12 players

 

[JaggedJ]

Yes, we are in agreement. But you also can't leave the team list blank at 7 and take the field with 12 players

Watch me.

 

[Inruin]

Watch me.

I don't need a second invitation

 

[~Navigator~]

Our season pretty much rides and dies with SJ and AFB.

Funny cause the other 11 do nothing do they...lmao

 

[watcher]

Can someone please check on Ronnie Volkman lol. Pretty bad few weeks for him.

Secures a release from the Warriors with 2 more years and lots more money to get more first grade exposure.

Signs a 1 year deal with the shitty Dragons - huge step down for him!

Starts training with them before the contract being registered and medical is done, ends up finding out he needs surgery and as a result has his contract torn up.

A week later SJ goes down with a likely long term injury. If Ronnie was here, he likely would be in contention to replace SJ for those first few weeks and wouldn't have had the medical that picked up the injury to his shoulder.

I know that last part is speculation on my part but jeeze, you have to feel sorry for the bloke. My guess is well see another half injury before the start of the season which really would have put him in the box seat to start the year off for us. The rest of the team is largely fit so he would have had a a good 2-5 weeks to show what he's got with a good forward pack, as opposed to the set up against the Dolphins with out B team haha

He, and his management wants out. The Warriors grant the release contributing cash as they do. After the Dragons fiasco Warriors welfare reaches out to RV. They did not have to. If he had not have left the injury would have been found so he would not be replacing SJ.

As for SJ, we do not know exactly how bad it is. It is standard practice to use a moon boot in such situation until the severity and exact injury is diagnosed

 

[JaggedJ]

Funny cause the other 11 do nothing do they...lmao

The other 11 to some degree have depth in their position.

We need to be healthy to have even a slight shot at winning it all, but there's just nobody behind SJ and AFB who can come close to compensating if we lose them.

 

[Brightman]

The other 11 to some degree have depth in their position.

We need to be healthy to have even a slight shot at winning it all, but there's just nobody behind SJ and AFB who can come close to compensating if we lose them.

I agree in principle but, with Webster's style of coaching each position to know their role and how they fit into the structured plays ala Penrith, there will be less downside on the reliance on sole individuals over time..

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

The other 11 to some degree have depth in their position.

We need to be healthy to have even a slight shot at winning it all, but there's just nobody behind SJ and AFB who can come close to compensating if we lose them.

Can’t Rocco just cover SJ’s absence?

The guy is just raw skill so it will be easily covered

 

[SJ2k]

The other 11 to some degree have depth in their position.

We need to be healthy to have even a slight shot at winning it all, but there's just nobody behind SJ and AFB who can come close to compensating if we lose them.

I absolutely agree, but I would add these players exist for all teams. Panthers don't win last year without Cleary. We are unacceptably short stocked at prop though.

 

[Boats n Hoes]

I agree in principle but, with Webster's style of coaching each position to know their role and how they fit into the structured plays ala Penrith, there will be less downside on the reliance on sole individuals over time..

Agree. We saw that with the Storm for a long time with their "next man up" mentality where they seemingly didnt miss a beat when replacing players. A lot of that down to Bellamys regimented structure making it an easy transition for new players in that system.

Websters philosiphy seems much the same. However u do notice his structured plays are all about options. Wether its out the back, or dropping a player under, or the short runner, or even 2 short runners (or even sometimes all of this happening in the same play)......its one thing to go through the motions of this, but its another to have the skill and vision to choose the right option depending on how the defence has reacted.....takes a bit of talent which is a hard one to replace if SJ is out.......also, unfortunately......we dont replace his kicking game.

 

[JaggedJ]

Can’t Rocco just cover SJ’s absence?

The guy is just raw skill so it will be easily covered

The Berrysiah is like drug cheating, you can't make it too obvious.

Like in Smallville when Clark Kent played football but only used a fraction of his power to not draw suspicion.

 

[JaggedJ]

I absolutely agree, but I would add these players exist for all teams. Panthers don't win last year without Cleary. We are unacceptably short stocked at prop though.

They do exist for all teams, salary cap pretty much makes sure of that.

Problem is SJ has a history of leg issues and is more suspectible than say a Cleary so there's a little more anxiety for us.

AFB is similar due to the fact we've got him and a bunch of converted backrowers. Most teams have 2 starting props and another on the bench. It doesn't feel as thin as it does with us.

If we lost other guys it would suck but you can see within the squad a solution so the drop off "shouldn't" be as big.

 

[Sammyw]

why the panic?? a high ankle sprain at this point is completely manageable, id be shocked if SJ isnt starting round 1. also, at this point of his career, missing a good chunk of pre-season is not a bad thing tbh. i have zero concerns about him slotting straight back in

 

[Shogun]

Warriors let another one slip through.

Nephew of inaugural Warrior signs on with Bulldogs. He has signed his first NRL deal.​

The Canterbury Bulldogs have landed the signature of prodigious young New Zealand talent Roy Tatupu.

Rated as one of the best round all-round sportsmen in New Zealand, Tatupu is the nephew of former New Zealand and Western Samoa international representative Tony Tatupu.

Roy, who stands at 190 centimetres and weighs 94 kilograms, has been named in New Zealand's open men's volleyball squad for 2024, as well as showing promise in rugby union where he has been part of the Blues rugby academy in Auckland.

According to his management Ginnen Group Sports, he has also played representative softball for New Zealand, while he also took out the top sportsman at his school Mt Albert Grammar in 2023 and was named the best overall sports person of the year at the College Spot Auckland awards.

He has decided a career in rugby league is where he wants to go though, with Wide World of Sports reporting he has signed a two-year deal with the Bulldogs, where he has already started training.

Bulldogs director of football Phil Gould told the publication he is already impressing.

"Roy is going OK in the week or so he has been here - he has shown some really good signs at training," Gould said.

It's unclear at this stage exactly what his contract is with the Bulldogs, but given his age, it's likely he will be on a pathways deal with possible progression to a development deal in 2025.

 

[Wrighty]

27 days until our pre-season match vs the Tigers.

 

[Wrighty]

We should hear on SJ's scans tomorrow i hope.

 

[nzwarriorsfaithful]

We should hear on SJ's scans tomorrow i hope.

Couple weeks he’s out for, back rd 1

 

[Wrighty]

Couple weeks he’s out for, back rd 1

Linky link please ???

 

[WahsUltras]

Linky link please ???

In SJ thread