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

 

[Commonsense]

Nonsense. Ale starts, Walker off the bench.

Couple good games at prop and all of a sudden he is a starting lock.

You mad as a meat axe

 

[Spence]

I don’t remember him playing center but it sounds like something we would do.

I double checked and you’re right he didn’t sorry! I’m sure I remember it though.

 

[The Warrior Waka]

I double checked and you’re right he didn’t sorry! I’m sure I remember it though.

I'm pretty sure he did as well. Quite a while back tho.

 

[Defence]

Maybe he filled in mid-game?

Anyway back to recruitment I see Daniel saifiti has been told to look around.
Any interest around here? Believe Barney was his best man…
I’m not sure we need another middle now- maybe if tohu retired? Newcastle would have to chip in a fair chunk of his salary.

 

[Noitall]

Maybe he filled in mid-game?

Anyway back to recruitment I see Daniel saifiti has been told to look around.
Any interest around here? Believe Barney was his best man…
I’m not sure we need another middle now- maybe if tohu retired? Newcastle would have to chip in a fair chunk of his salary.

Would be interesting with Webster seemingly after height in many of the recruiting targets in recent times. Seems like a guy that would bring high standards like Barnett. I’d back the club if they pursued it and as you say, knights chipped in. Still really keen on Willison though. Been looking at broncos forum and they so desperate for edge forwards, they’d be keen to see Staggs go to an edge knowing they can’t have two centres on big money with Cobbo. I’d shop Ford to them in return for Willison

 

[hornbybrown]

Hohaia springs to mind- not sure how many were in the same year but he played hooker, halfback, stand off, center, fullback and came off the bench.

Jason Crocker from the raiders in the 90’s has a start in every position except 7 and 9. Be hard to top that

 

[BabylonPink]

i dont get the Walker move.
He was recruited as a utility, on the tail end of his career, now all of a sudden he's a starting #13...?
Blood in one of the NSW Cup guys to take that spot and leave Walker at 14 is my view.

We need his speed and ballplaying.
He's like a half , a very tough one.
Tohu comes on and tackles for 25 , anyone else can do that as ling as they can sustain 25 minutes of excellent D. Walker and Tohus previous role have swapped almost.

 

[Dannevegas]

Rumoured to be Naufahu White

This is buildups isn’t it. Would honestly be one of my no.1 targets forwards wise

 

[Defence]

Would be interesting with Webster seemingly after height in many of the recruiting targets in recent times. Seems like a guy that would bring high standards like Barnett. I’d back the club if they pursued it and as you say, knights chipped in. Still really keen on Willison though. Been looking at broncos forum and they so desperate for edge forwards, they’d be keen to see Staggs go to an edge knowing they can’t have two centres on big money with Cobbo. I’d shop Ford to them in return for Willison

That would be a no brainer if they were interested.

 

[Defence]

Jason Crocker from the raiders in the 90’s has a start in every position except 7 and 9. Be hard to top that

Good one.
Hasler everywhere bar prop and second row.

 

[Tragic]

Jason Crocker from the raiders in the 90’s has a start in every position except 7 and 9. Be hard to top that

Surprised he played prop but he was versatile and an awesome lock

 

[Tragic]

Galuvao musta played every forwards position plus centre n fullback

 

[sballer7]

Havent seen a lot of him this season but Saifiti looks to be going fairly average. Gotta say though a lot of people here thought Barnett would be a bust too, but a new environment only revitalised his career. He's only 28, played close to 200 nrl games and 7 origins. Reckon for the right price, he'd be a good signing to pair up with JFH.

 

[run_it_str8_again]

Yeah we looked slow in those games too. We just had a better attitude, were more physical and our opponents either took us lightly or had a really bad day (Cowboys were atrocious)

Even in those wins though, all 3 of the teams mentioned scored tries from inside their own 20-40m line against us.

That's the problem, opposition make a break anywhere on the field and it's usually try time. We make a break in our own half we're probably just gaining extra field position.

In games where the attitude and physicality is equal we're going to come up short because we don't have the icing on top to either swing momentum or kick them when they're down.

Singing/developing players with pace isn't just an attacking move, it helps with defence. Right now we can't match teams with pace and all the top teams have pace and know we don't.

We didn't need to be fast in the outside backs to win those games we did. We were fast in the middle, in the play the ball. Paul Roache played dummy half against Penrith at speed just like in touch when you catch the opposition off side and get easy metres. That middle speed is enough to compensate for our slow outsides. But when our middle loses, our slow outside backs are exposed. But to put that in perspective.... by winning the middle and play the ball, the dolphins with their lightning speed were surmountable. Same for Penrith. So perhaps our focus with who we actually have needs to be on applying ourselves to dominate that middle section to break defences open. Just a random thought that came to me after reading the "we're too slow" comments tonight. By the way, I'd love faster players too

 

[ToiletDuck]

It’s crazy how many second rowers we have and none of them can play 13…. A real weakness in our pack unfortunately. Still prefer Tohu to start with Walker coming on late if we have no other options… surely we can try blooding Capewell or Barnett in the offseason?…. Yeo does a decent job for Penrith without doing anything flash.. needs someone with experience to read a play..

Yeo just does his job so well and appears to be doing nothing flash, which is why he's so good. His ability to play first receiver and pick extremely well timed passes in either direction to either of his halves is essentially unmatched - outside of someone like Cam Murray. And when he doesn't take that pass, he is capable of very strong hit-ups through the middle, which basically makes him a perfect middle forward. Tohu has produced similar for us, great ball playing ability for a big man and was effective rumbling up the guts too. This year his energy and effectiveness has fallen off a cliff though, and he has well and truly fallen away from the level he was at.

Walker is doing it better at present and I think it was TMM who basically said same in his post match interview. It makes a big difference for the halves.
Not sure we have many others who have the ability. Learning that skill in your latter years is difficult.

 

[run_it_str8_again]

Yeo just does his job so well and appears to be doing nothing flash, which is why he's so good. His ability to play first receiver and pick extremely well timed passes in either direction to either of his halves is essentially unmatched - outside of someone like Cam Murray. And when he doesn't take that pass, he is capable of very strong hit-ups through the middle, which basically makes him a perfect middle forward. Tohu has produced similar for us, great ball playing ability for a big man and was effective rumbling up the guts too. This year his energy and effectiveness has fallen off a cliff though, and he has well and truly fallen away from the level he was at.

Walker is doing it better at present and I think it was TMM who basically said same in his post match interview. It makes a big difference for the halves.
Not sure we have many others who have the ability. Learning that skill in your latter years is difficult.

That Schuster bloke sounds like the type of "player" that describes. Otherwise I'd be short of ideas of who could fill that role

 

[The Warrior Waka]

This is buildups isn’t it. Would honestly be one of my no.1 targets forwards wise

Well it hasn't happened. So it is builddowns

 

[Boston Boy]

Havent seen a lot of him this season but Saifiti looks to be going fairly average. Gotta say though a lot of people here thought Barnett would be a bust too, but a new environment only revitalised his career. He's only 28, played close to 200 nrl games and 7 origins. Reckon for the right price, he'd be a good signing to pair up with JFH.

He really could be, you got those hard working guys in the pack with JFH and Barnett leading. It seems like he would also help lead the way.

 

[Defence]

Its interesting that saifitis form dropping off coincided with barney leaving the knights...
Hes seen how coming here has revitalized barneys career and his dads a mad warriors fan too so if u got both your dad and your best friend in your ear it doesn't seem too far-fetched he could end up here...

 

[Lets Eat (YeahNah)]

Knights with the clean out incoming due to salary cap drama, is there a decent player for a fair price

Have they got any wheels for sale