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

 

[Inruin]

Yes yes yes to Willison.

In regards to the halves, do you think we have enough outside of SJ prior to Jett and Hanson getting up to speed?

Probably the wrong time to ask as both CHT and TMM looked great over the weekend, but prior to these last two weeks I would have been very nervous for next year onwards. SJ is old and will likely have a few 2-3 week breaks due to injuries and trying to manage Nek year, and with Cleary and Hanson still a little while away I'm a little worried about TMM and CHT playing 15+ weeks together in the NRL week in week out - I still don't think we've seen enough to tell if they're the real deal

Who do you sign though? If SJ goes around again next year which is 99% likely then you have TMM and CHT as cover for 7. If you get in someone else as cover, are they going to offer more than them and are they going to be happy enough playing Cup until they get a game or 3 in top grade? We signed the best guy available in Cup at the time with Volkman and that didn't quite work out. With the club helping with his rehab do we offer him another contract for that very role of NSW cup half/first grade 2nd, 3rd or 4th cover? Or is he a bust? Or wanting to test himself more in Super League?

 

[francis]

Would like to see us pick up Willison from Broncos and an out and out young half. If we do that, and bring the squad age down next year I reckon we are back in the window.

i'd go for Terrell May considering contracts dont mean shit atm

 

[CWC]

Maybe it's due to the feeling of winning the last 2 weeks, but IDK if we need to sign any more "cake" at the moment, it's more ice signings at the moment, for '25 anyway

Props - JFH, Barney, Marata (if stays fit can literally be that "other prop" we want), Ale (is a beast now), Bunty (much improved on cheap salary too), Jazz (good again when healthy)

2nd row - Ford (improving fast again), Capewell, Laban, Sifakula, Halasima

13 - Tohu, Walker

Maybe the 2nd row lacks a bit of experience when Capewell's injured (also unsure how much impact he will have this year), if we give it to those 3 juniors to develop, but Marata and Barney have been covering those spots too, do we need to get another gun 2nd rower when Laban improves in his 2nd year Sifakula his 2nd/3rd year where they could start to become gun starters?

Tohu not sure if he's busted or it's just fatigue from the first few rounds, when's Walker's contract ending? Are they extending him? I guess there is room to employ a 13 if Tohu is moving to prop or retiring, or if both him and Walker are moving on? They might try CHT but I don't think he has the speed and experience

So for me it depends on our 13s contracts whether we need to get an experienced ball player and if there are young upcoming props like Willison, Thompson etc wanting to come as Bunty and Jazz will be phased out by '26 at the latest?

 

[watcher]

He will thrive at Penrith for all the reasons you stated and people will take it out of context and claim this is why he we should have signed him.

This out of context crying after players goes back a long way and there are many examples, to frame it in a Penrith Context....Joe Galuvao anyone? became a Penrith superstar and knocked us out of the finals.....Joe admits himself he had let himself go at the Warriors....then rubs it in one more time sinking us in the GF vs Manly.

I think your argument about preferring to be surrounded by better players who elevate his game equally applies to Eliesa Katoa at the Storm.

Another guy who needs to be surrounded by better players to elevate his game, rather than digging in and becoming the next Anchor superstar of the Warriors.

Katoa and Papalii share a pedigree of being singled out by the Warriors as being the next thing....both were offered contract extensions, both were facing struggles, both walked out.

I think that should be the red flag of no return, i.e. if you have come from our juniors, been groomed for an age, struggled through the teething problems of difficult Warriors performances, and personal form slumps, if the club despite those things offers you an extension and you walk.....you are not Warriors material because even if you come back home a star, you will probably never dig in and stick in the underdog-verse that is the battlers of the NRL....the Warriors.

What the Warriors need to improve on though, where they are to blame in player retention, is to properly give a player like Sio Siua Taukeiáho an opportunity over other more vaunted names in their Junior ranks.

Taukei'aho is the opposite of Ice, and Katoa, he wanted to stay, he was let go because he was not given a shot till it was too late.

We should employ (or create) a 'profiler', an analyst to weed out the players who are likely walk out and turn away from a Warriors offer after millions of dollars of investment (this is after all behavioral science / phenomenology rather than quantitative science ).The Warriors employ sports Psychologists, perhaps it is time they employed a Forensic Psychologist (Serial Killer therapist of the FBI model that uses a lot of tools regular sports psychologists do not).

Excuse the big words folks, what I am talking about is revolutionary - so bear with me, these ideas you won't read anywhere else in sports..


If the FBI in Quantico Virginia can hunt down Serial killers who by their nature murder random victims, with no apparent pattern (no pattern before behavioral science became a thing) if some G man can predict you drive a dark blue vehicle, and have a wife and Children, that you have a stutter, that you will attend public events and inject yourself into the investigation....then Sports.....(prepare to be mind blown) like ours, could revolutionize recruitment and retention by running personality analysis on the very predictable, well studied, well patterned, behavior of the big dumb animal that is the sports jock.

Sorry I went on a sermon slash rant, but worlds collide, I worked with killers, the worst of the worst, and am a Warriors fan....people tend to blend their interests and come up with crazy big ideas when they are bored....

Discuss.....my premise is that the science already exists to analyse who will stay and thrive in this environment and who is looking for fame elsewhere. If the FBI can find killers who leave no evidence then an NRL club can make predictions about people that they have access to seven days a week for years right in front of them...should they apply forensic profiling.

Hey look, ignore the science and lets just acknowledge the intuition and read of NZWARRIORS fans after years of following the Warriors often times end up prophetic, lets acknowledge that there are patterns that all of us talk about in Warrior language, because we have seen them before, and they keep repeating.

Then consider what someone highly trained could make of the patterns in Warriors players personalities and patterns of behavior could predict from a recruitment and retention pov.

Certainly an expert would not encourage chasing after people that fundamentally do not care for your brand....those are simple metrics to determine using the science of phenomenology which is not blinded by maths and stats.

Any mans personality profile will predict what his likely responses are in given situations, perhaps we need to get ahead of that already well established body of science and use it to our advantage before it becomes a thing anywhere else in world sports.

As it stands all professional sports teams employ a Psychologist, however their purview is to therapize the athlete and help them maintain emotional regulation.

My idea is that professional sports clubs could profit from getting ahead of that curve and use their shrinks to analyse personality types for the purpose of predictive forecasting of who is likely to stay versus those more inclined to use us as a spring board (profiling people is real, it is a science, as yet to be explored in sports).

Very intersting premise. I was really interested in profiling and was actually trained in Profiling. The creator of FBI profiling, John Douglas, was asked whether he could profile future criminals from profilers, he said he could but an experienced teacher can do it better.

There is a bit of a misunderstanding about profiling in that it doesnt identify the guilty. It focuses the investigation so the grunt work has to be done correctly. I know you have had dealings with the Parnell Pa nther. Douglases profile put him as no1 suspect whereas before he was always just outside the main suspects.

I think another thing overlooked is the role played by Agents, Managers family and peer groups. What you are talking about is solving the mystery of develop and retention. And should be given your own personal box at Mt Smart.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Alec MacDonald anyone

He's a very tough player, could be a good locking option for 2026?

 

[WahsaurusRex]

Alec MacDonald anyone

He's a very tough player, could be a good locking option for 2026?

Could we even fit his chin under the cap when we already have Tom Ale and Jett Cleary?

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Could we even fit his chin under the cap when we already have Tom Ale and Jett Cleary?

They will have to make more room of the team bus for sure!

 

[Kav1]

Think Jazz will be a victim of timing, or maybe get 1 more year. With all our injuries this is his chance to make his case. Real shame he hasn't been available for the previous five weeks.

It's early days but Capewell seems to be a dud signing that is really going to hurt us for a few years. Does anyone have a more optimistic view on this?

Has played through injury so deserves some credit for that. He is not a State of Origin player for nothing. Webby will have been using him as mentor for the youngsters coming through (after all he played for the Panthers before heading north to the Broncos)

 

[Noitall]

Catalan Dragons want him as a winger in 2025 despite he is contracted to us for that season.
Maybe that's another reason to make a permanent switch to fullback and upgrade his contract.
I also read in "Stuff" today that he wants to make the switch. I, for one, hope he gets his wish.

Wants to make a switch to fullback?

 

[watcher]

I would think he has more options than that, Japanese Rugby for a payday for instance

 

[jonesy101]

I would think he has more options than that, Japanese Rugby for a payday for instance

Pantene model?

 

[watcher]

Pantene model?

That too

 

[Kav1]

Wants to make a switch to fullback?

Yes that's what I read.

 

[Noitall]

Yes that's what I read.

Would say he’s definitely leaving then if that’s the case

 

[Noitall]

That Hunt article just reads like some more Badel BS frankly.

Also, he's gonna be 35 to start next season, no chance i'd offer him a multi-year deal when the opportunity cost of potentially losing one of our fullbacks or Zane Harrison is so high. I actually think halves-wise the only two players i'd slightly be onboard with signing that COULD become available would be maybe Sam Walker or ... Aiden Sezer lol, seriously, the market is that rough. I'm pretty happy with keeping Foz another 1+1 and keeping the powder dry for a JC/AJ move to the halves/opening up a pathway for Harrison or whoever else. Probably sign some relatively experienced option as backup/spot starter in the meantime. As I mentioned a week or two ago we were offered Te Maire, not sure what happened there but this roster would need some shifting before something like that would happen, plus, im not super convinced he's much better than Tanah Boyd anyway honestly







Off the titans forum regarding Ben Hunt. Interesting the part though that says TMM was offered to them

 

[Ref]

Alec MacDonald anyone

He's a very tough player, could be a good locking option for 2026?

I’d be shocked if Bellamy let him go.
The guy is epic.
Mind you, money talks.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

I’d be shocked if Bellamy let him go.
The guy is epic.
Mind you, money talks.

I would also talk Whyte into considering a homecoming?

 

[PullingTeets]

That Hunt article just reads like some more Badel BS frankly.

Also, he's gonna be 35 to start next season, no chance i'd offer him a multi-year deal when the opportunity cost of potentially losing one of our fullbacks or Zane Harrison is so high. I actually think halves-wise the only two players i'd slightly be onboard with signing that COULD become available would be maybe Sam Walker or ... Aiden Sezer lol, seriously, the market is that rough. I'm pretty happy with keeping Foz another 1+1 and keeping the powder dry for a JC/AJ move to the halves/opening up a pathway for Harrison or whoever else. Probably sign some relatively experienced option as backup/spot starter in the meantime. As I mentioned a week or two ago we were offered Te Maire, not sure what happened there but this roster would need some shifting before something like that would happen, plus, im not super convinced he's much better than Tanah Boyd anyway honestly







Off the titans forum regarding Ben Hunt. Interesting the part though that says TMM was offered to them

Take this with a grain of salt, But Ben Hunt was off to the Titans Last year but the Dragons CEO didn't sign off on it.

 

[Beastmode]

I know it's easier said than done, but I think looking at how well our youngsters have stepped up, we should only be looking to sign an absolute gun. If we can save all our cash and add one absolute gun to this squad, it could put us over the edge. Think we kinda messed it up this year adding RTS and Capewell who are good, but at this stage of their careers not guns. Now we're trying to fit them in, rather than them being an automatic no brainer selection.

JFH is an example of this, but that's a straight swap for the gun we're losing in AFB. We need 1 more, otherwise leave the squad as is and keep extending the best youngsters.

We if want a gun, it has to be a spine gun. Wing is the last position I would try to recruit. Even Prop to a certain degree as the skill level isn’t comparable to half, or FB role

 

[Kav1]

Wants to make a switch to fullback?

Sorry I got that a bit wrong. DMZ was only filling in at fullback because Chanze was ill. I don't know if he will continue in that role (but do hope so)