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

 

[Up the guttz]

This will be the making of Cappy!!

Anyone seen that kevin Costner movie “draft day”?? Great movie about making deals.

I want 5 first round draft picks

 

[sballer7]

I can't see this being a tenable situation, I don't think any of us expect him to be close to his best at training or come game time with him only being able to see his Mum maybe once every couple of weeks, on top of whatever other reasons for him wanting out.



We've been put into a shit situation, but with that quote, I hope Cappy, Webby, and CG aren't just talking to AFB, but also talking with the Cowboys, phones running hot/glued to ears and all.

Also like to think Webby is flicking some texts to Charnze and the Fish himself to try to talk him into wanting to come back to NZ- it doesn't seem like Webbys style to "screw over" Ivan, but we've got to benefit from that Panthers connection at some point

Really hope webby isnt doing that in the same way Id like to hope AFB hasnt already been courted by another club.

I say release him today and say that he can only sign with the NSW Warratahs

 

[WahsaurusRex]

I'm not going to lie, as devo as this is, it is a little fun treating this as some sort of NBA situation

Like I hadn't even considered Griffin Neame, so how about something like..

Warriors receive: (We get our AFB replacement, and the second prop we have been yearning for)
Jason Taumalolo
Griffin Neame

Cowboys receive: (They ease a lot of cap pressure and opportunities to get all their young guns forwards out there, while potentially getting their longtime 6 to Deardens 7)
Luke Metcalf
Michael Molo

Dragons receive: (They get their guy)
Addin Fonua-Blake

It's all fun and games until we end up with Ben Murdoch-Masila of course lol

Anyone seen that kevin Costner movie “draft day”?? Great movie about making deals.

I want 5 first round draft picks

So good, that and Moneyball I watch once or twice a year.

"I want David goddamn Putney just because I feel like it"

 

[Woofa]

I would be looking at relocating the parents into a nice house in Auckland personally.

 

[Manu's Mistake]

Ì

 

[mrblonde]

Lobby the NRL to introduce an Own Try rule.

Then agree to AFB's release - but give him a "roaming comission". He roams the land with his bindlestiff on his shoulder, like some guy in some 70s kung fu show, playing for whatever NRL team plays the Warriors that weekend. Scoring at least one Own Try every game.

 

[JaggedJ]

Ì

Hard to argue.

 

[Up the guttz]

I really want this to turn into some crazy deal.

If he agrees to play for us in 2024 I would put some KPI’s in. If he doesn’t meet them, then he doesn’t get his release. That would be the only way to be sure he would keep up the effort rather than dropping lip for the year.

I wonder how much his missus has to do with this? I.e the Versace shop in AK is not as good as NSW and it’s so hard to find a nice Birkin

 

[CWC]

I would not bother with the 12 month thing lol, so he's in England? And throws a grenade at the club? lol

Just use him as a pawn and the No.1 fish in the market and look for some meltdown from other desperate clubs who make bad decisions and give us too many good players or $ in exchange lol

 

[Noitall]

Was it Aloiai manly got when AFB wanted out of there?

 

[Fonzie]

Was it Aloiai manly got when AFB wanted out of there?

Yep

 

[mrblonde]

Hard to argue.

Nah.

It's obviously "U" is the solution, here.

I mean, duh.

 

[jonesy101]

Nah.

It's obviously "U" is the solution, here.

I mean, duh.

I think he was meaning I as in Isaiah Papalii, but you are correct that U as in Hamlin-Uele might be another option. I'm happy we re-signed Z recently.

 

[Stalefish540]

I would not bother with the 12 month thing lol, so he's in England? And throws a grenade at the club? lol

Just use him as a pawn and the No.1 fish in the market and look for some meltdown from other desperate clubs who make bad decisions and give us too many good players or $ in exchange lol

Desperate clubs and too many good players aren't really two things that are synonymous with eachother.

 

[snake77]

It would be interesting to know if McFadden's comment on looking for an experienced forward was before or after they got the release request. That would give an indication on what their plans were.

That would depend on when they got the request. Did they find out a few days/weeks ago and have been reviewing it and checking their options. Or did it all happen yesterday and went to the media the same day.

At the moment & until we hear otherwise we can assume the relationship between AFB and the club is still good. For the Warriors it might be best to wait for him to come back from his tour and talk with him and his manager. Being on international duties he won't be back to start his pre-season for a while so it would either be a case of meeting him back in Auckland, going across to Sydney or like during covid over a video conference.

For all we know he may have told the club what was going on and things have deteriorated. They may have suspected this could eventuate.
***For this point I can't recall if the reports said the club was blindsided or similar wording. I've seen bombshell but that could be the journalistic using a bit of poetic license.

 

[CWC]

Desperate clubs and too many good players aren't really two things that are synonymous with eachother.

Bulldogs can cough up cash, and we use that cash to buy JT from Cowboys with freight, for example

3D chess here

 

[snake77]

So after a quiet off-season besides a recent release for Curran we could see some activity/rumours on the recruitment front.

Unless releasing AFB causes a bit of movement elsewhere or other clubs start releasing players due to their cap being tight it will be tough to get anyone decent. The season has been over for a while now which is when clubs review their season and look at their squad and may release a few players. We are closer to pre-season starting now. Ideally, players would have things sorted by now if they were going to move city, state or country to join a new club.

I know it's past November 1 when people get excited. But that is for the 2025 season so it would be a case of signing someone for 2025 and hoping for a release. As we have seen with Harris, Metcalf and Niukore. The player getting a release isn't a given. Their club may be happy to keep them for the following season.

 

[Noitall]

So after a quiet off-season besides a recent release for Curran we could see some activity/rumours on the recruitment front.

Unless releasing AFB causes a bit of movement elsewhere or other clubs start releasing players due to their cap being tight it will be tough to get anyone decent. The season has been over for a while now which is when clubs review their season and look at their squad and may release a few players. We are closer to pre-season starting now. Ideally, players would have things sorted by now if they were going to move city, state or country to join a new club.

I know it's past November 1 when people get excited. But that is for the 2025 season so it would be a case of signing someone for 2025 and hoping for a release. As we have seen with Harris, Metcalf and Niukore. The player getting a release isn't a given. Their club may be happy to keep them for the following season.

Being that we’ve had the compassionate grounds card thrown at us a few times now, if we approach Kiwis it’s a card we are going to have to play.

 

[CWC]

Hey Ardie, rugby sucks and is rigged, wanna play for the Wahs?

Ben Cummins: "hold my beer"

 

[Stalefish540]

Bulldogs can cough up cash, and we use that cash to buy JT from Cowboys with freight, for example

3D chess here

JT loves life up in NQ, pretty certain his parents live there.

Can't see that happening.