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

 

[peewee]

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

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

Saifiti would add a bit of starch along with Barnett and Nuikore.
I always sit up and worry when Knights bring him on.
A good pickup I say.

 

[Theking267]

I wouldn’t be trying to recruit forwards. We have the best forward pack in the NRL, and the best young forwards coming through. We really need to be recruiting some ex factor, as Metcalf’s body is a real question mark moving forward.

 

[BigUCE]

I think the signing of D.Saifiti would be decent, especially if the knights paid a large chunk of his remaining 3 year contract, but I would rather focus on signing one of Leo Thompson or Xavier Willison.

 

[Noitall]

I think the signing of D.Saifiti would be decent, especially if the knights paid a large chunk of his remaining 3 year contract, but I would rather focus on signing one of Leo Thompson or Xavier Willison.

Would think a big part of shopping Saifiti would be to give Thompson a bump in pay? Plenty of clubs after front rowers at the moment and whoever is chasing Utoikamanu but misses out could see Saifiti as a worthy target? It could come down to how much another club is willing to pay and the knights are left with as to which direction they take? They could need to shed more than Saifiti, Hetherington and Brailey, who are the 3 mentioned at present. They’ll be thinking Tyrone Thompson will keep Leo there, but Warriors could be asking questions with Leo able to be approached in November. Still got Willison at the front of any front row recruits for me though

 

[BigUCE]

Would think a big part of shopping Saifiti would be to give Thompson a bump in pay? Plenty of clubs after front rowers at the moment and whoever is chasing Utoikamanu but misses out could see Saifiti as a worthy target? It could come down to how much another club is willing to pay and the knights are left with as to which direction they take? They could need to shed more than Saifiti, Hetherington and Brailey, who are the 3 mentioned at present. They’ll be thinking Tyrone Thompson will keep Leo there, but Warriors could be asking questions with Leo able to be approached in November. Still got Willison at the front of any front row recruits for me though

Not sure, from what I just read, they can’t even fill roster spots until they get rid of 3 large contracts as it will take them over the cap. Peter O’Sullivan walked into an absolute shit show at the knights.

 

[Noitall]

Not sure, from what I just read, they can’t even fill roster spots until they get rid of 3 large contracts as it will take them over the cap. Peter O’Sullivan walked into an absolute shit show at the knights.

Crazy they doing all this not considering Ponga on $1.4 million and not playing a bunch of games per season. Roosters fans still believe they are pursuing Ponga so going to be interesting to watch what happens at the knights

 

[sydneywarrior92]

Our current pack already leads the league in yardage, both total run metres and pcms. Our focus should be on pace, not big fellas.

 

[The Warrior Waka]

Our current pack already leads the league in yardage, both total run metres and pcms. Our focus should be on pace, not big fellas.

While i agree with needing pace. When Addin leaves, So does a bulk of our go forward. Fish is going to bring a follow me, hard working grind type game. Not the metre eater Addin is.

I'd prefer to get both speed and a big fuck off prop. Surley there is a cheap fast fuck waiting for a chance to play NRL Somewhere.

 

[sydneywarrior92]

While i agree with needing pace. When Addin leaves, So does a bulk of our go forward. Fish is going to bring a follow me, hard working grind type game. Not the metre eater Addin is.

I'd prefer to get both speed and a big fuck off prop. Surley there is a cheap fast fuck waiting for a chance to play NRL Somewhere.

I would be looking to promote from within rather than spending too much cap space on an external alternative. We have the best up and coming forwards in the game plying their trade in cup. I'm sure a convex combination of Zyon Maiu’u, Sifakula, Halasima moving up to first grade next year can make up for what AFB was giving us. Add that to the mongrel we'll get with JFH, Barney and Niukore, I'd say our pack will remain one of the strongest next year. Forwards aren't where we need to be investing.

 

[The Warrior Waka]

I would be looking to promote from within rather than spending too much cap space on an external alternative. We have the best up and coming forwards in the game plying their trade in cup. I'm sure a convex combination of Zyon Maiu’u, Sifakula, Halasima moving up to first grade next year can make up for what AFB was giving us. Add that to the mongrel we'll get with both JFH and Barney, I'd say our pack will remain one of the strongest next year.

Agree on all points. But we still get bullied by bigger teams. And our current squad including juniors are all of similar build & height. When players like Nas , Haas , David Fafita have a bee in their bonnet they run all over us. I just want a different body shaped mongrel to what we have already. Just one!! Lmao

 

[Noitall]

Agree on all points. But we still get bullied by bigger teams. And our current squad including juniors are all of similar build & height. When players like Nas , Haas , David Fafita have a bee in their bonnet they run all over us. I just want a different body shaped mongrel to what we have already. Just one!! Lmao

Interesting reading over there on the roosters forum about targeting Dylan Brown and a poster saying he wants a change of scenery and likely to head across the ditch. Also sharks forum mentioning that there’s still noise around Jarome Hughes wanting to leave the storm, though still the reason to head back to Queensland. Think there’s always so much going on in the nrl constantly because of the lack of value of a contract these days. Will be really interesting to see who we target in recruitment

 

[Bevosa]

I'm pretty sure Enari Tuala from the Knights is off contract this year. He is extremely solid and has good pace.

 

[Defence]

Our current pack already leads the league in yardage, both total run metres and pcms. Our focus should be on pace, not big fellas.

I tend to agree but with afb leaving if we do lose tohu and jazz this year as well thats a lot of experience out the door- I think we'd have to fill one of those spots from outside.
The other thing is that there are no gun outside backs on the market.

 

[Noitall]

View: https://www.reddit.com/r/nrl/comments/1dtav09/this_is_wild_sign_him_up/#lightbox

 

[The Warrior Waka]

View: https://www.reddit.com/r/nrl/comments/1dtav09/this_is_wild_sign_him_up/#lightbox

Who is this bro?

 

[Noitall]

Who is this bro?

Antoine DuPont. French rugby player. Just a publicity thing I think. Was posted by Jarome Kaino

 

[The Warrior Waka]

Antoine DuPont. French rugby player. Just a publicity thing I think. Was posted by Jarome Kaino

Is he fast? Sign him up!! Lol

 

[Defence]

Is he fast? Sign him up!! Lol

Would have to see him on the sand dunes to be sure.

 

[Noitall]

Is he fast? Sign him up!! Lol

Would be crazy with the titans and roosters securing releases for the Aussie rugby players they’ve signed. Next to no chance though I’d imagine. Awesome player though, halfback in union

 

[JaggedJ]

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

Problem is by focusing on the "games we won" is that it allows us to ignore our weaknesses. We're not going to be allowed to dominate in the middle every game. So when plan A goes what's left?

Come finals time we're not dominating in the middle for 80 minutes 4/4 games to win it all. Most finals games ebb and flow and often have parity in the middle. After that it comes down to x-factor, small moments that turns games. Nothing turns games like speed does in the modern game.

Breaking the defense open isn't as much of a problem as converting those breaks into tries or spreading the ball wide and not seeing a centre or wing cut back inside because they don't have the pace to take the sideline.

We are putting ourselves at a disadvantage, our opposition have probably scored triple 50+ metre tries than we've scored. In a game where teams are very close to even across the board, that's going to cost you games over the length of the season and 1-2 could be enough to end your season in a tight finals race.