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

 

[SJ2k]

That list definitely kicks off some recruitment chat. As others have mentioned Ali is such an obvious resign that he shouldn't even be on the list, it should have been sorted already. Get it done now before the price goes up or he gets poached. If he can't stay healthy and it ends up being a dud, so be it.

Ford to me is a matter of price. If he's cheap, he fills spots much better than someone like Bunty and seems to be fit more often than almost anyone in the team. Not optimistic about his ceiling raising after this season, but again that's more possible than with Bunty or Jazz.

Need to make space for a big body prop, swapping one of our bench players to that would instantly rebalance it and go a long way to resolving our issues. As mentioned our midget bench is ridiculous and leads to weird minutes usage and huge drop offs when rotating players.

If lussick is going to be on the bench he should be doing the first 20 mins as well.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

I'm not ready to give up on Ford yet.
Only turning 27 nek year, plays multiple positions, has a big engine. He's one of those toilers that every team needs. If he cleaned up his penalties and errors he'd be fantastic imo. I have an inkling under JFH and Barney hell tidy up his game and go to another level.

Ford is another I think is suffering from poor man management.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Cam anyone tell me what's wrong with Walker? From what I can see he's still playing well.

 

[Warriorsfan92]

Hearing To’o being shopped to certain clubs.. surely we’re one of them

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Cam anyone tell me what's wrong with Walker? From what I can see he's still playing well.

Nothing apart from the way hes being played. Hes not as effective as a starting 13

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Hearing To’o being shopped to certain clubs.. surely we’re one of them

Not a chance hes leaving NSW

 

[Damo]

What's that saying though? Where there is smoke...

 

[MrFrankWhite]

My bet is he follows Critta to Belmore.

 

[BigUCE]

View attachment 8407
What's that saying though? Where there is smoke...

He also publicly said Luai wasn't leaving and look what happened. Might be some type of legal thing to deny.

 

[WahsaurusRex]

Probably would be ratchet seeing Luai, Crichton, and Leniu all go elsewhere. Not that he isn't close with the likes of Edwards, Cleary, Martin and them.

Luai was To'o's best man, and the two have a clothing brand together, so if I had to to pick a team for him to leave for, it would be the Tigers with him and Turuva.

If only Fish and To'o were tight like that
Pause

He also publicly said Luai wasn't leaving and look what happened. Might be some type of legal thing to deny.

Panthers brass are some of the biggest fibbers out there.

 

[Dantheman]

Hearing To’o being shopped to certain clubs.. surely we’re one of them

Rumour of DWZ off to Catalans wasn't there.....? Lmao, we are slim to none odds of getting him but he would be a fantastic signing and exactly what we need.

 

[Spence]

He also publicly said Luai wasn't leaving and look what happened. Might be some type of legal thing to deny.

Not quite, that was about whether Luai was going to be released early from his contract, which he wasn’t:

“Panthers CEO Brian Fletcher has answered with an emphatic “no” when asked if the club will allow Jarome Luai to head to the Tigers a year early”

 

[watcher]

Who could play 6 in our present squad, obvious calls are CHT Metcalf and CNK who have plaued there. One guy who could do well there imo is Graham-Taufa. He has good ball skills and seems to have good coordination to be a kicker. On that, do our guys get coaching in field kicking?

 

[CWC]

Metcalf probably the first pick if we are not pursuing Dylan Brown

I think CNK should transition to 13 if Walker is home sick next year or not re-signing for '26

Has intensity on attack and D up front, obviously can ball play and has a huge engine, and frees up Roger or Taine at FB, we can have Moala on the left wing with Monty or the young 18 y/o (19 next yr) backing up

 

[SBW1]

'Terrific player' but coach coy on ex-All Black's Warriors return

The former All Black has made his intentions clear over a Mt Smart comeback.

www.nzherald.co.nz

 

[jmb_31]

Metcalf probably the first pick if we are not pursuing Dylan Brown

I think CNK should transition to 13 if Walker is home sick next year or not re-signing for '26

Has intensity on attack and D up front, obviously can ball play and has a huge engine, and frees up Roger or Taine at FB, we can have Moala on the left wing with Monty or the young 18 y/o (19 next yr) backing up

Any talk of us being after Brown? That would be an ideal signing. Face of the club for the next 8-10 years.

 

[BigUCE]

Any talk of us being after Brown? That would be an ideal signing. Face of the club for the next 8-10 years.

I reckon he will end up in Perth especially if Brad Arthur gets the job. He seems to be pretty close to him

 

[jmb_31]

I reckon he will end up in Perth especially if Brad Arthur gets the job. He seems to be pretty close to him

No possible halves signings are really popping into my head. I don't think we have a solid 6-7 partnership for when SJ eventually does retire.

 

[Tookey 2.0]

Id probably go TMM and Metcalf for the next 2 years but unfortunately Metcalf can't seem to string more than 6 games together before going down.

Our potential spine does seem to lack a top player in their position.

CNK/Roger
Metcalf/CHT
TMM
Egan

Lots of injury concerns across that spine tho...

 

[CWC]

Metcalf has played about a quarter of the available games, pretty crazy