Recruitment Warriors 2025/2026 Recruitment & Retention

Warriors 2025/2026 Recruitment & Retention Discussion​

-	Player	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029
1	Bunty Afoa	✔
2	Tom Ale	✔
3	Mitchell Barnett	✔	✔	✔
4	Rocco Berry	✔	✔
5	Kurt Capewell	✔	✔
6	Erin Clark	✔	✔	✔
7	Wayde Egan	✔	✔	✔
8	James Fisher-Harris	✔	✔	✔	✔
9	Jackson Ford	✔	✔	✔
10	Leka Halasima	✔	✔	✔
11	Tohu Harris	✔
12	Chanel Harris-Tavita	✔	✔
13	Sam Healey	✔	✔	✔
14	Edward Kosi	✔
15	Jacob Laban	✔	✔
16	Ali Leiataua	✔	✔	✔
17	Freddy Lussick	✔	✔
18	Zyon Maiu’u	✔	✔
19	Te Maire Martin	✔
20	Luke Metcalf	✔	✔
21	Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	✔
22	Marata Niukore	✔	✔
23	Motu Pasikala	✔	✔	✔
24	Adam Pompey	✔
25	Taine Tuaupiki	✔	✔
26	Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	✔	✔
27	Demitric Vaimauga	✔	C
28	Dylan Walker	✔
29	Dallin Watene-Zelezniak	✔	✔	✔
S1	Tanah Boyd	S	S
S2	Kalani Going	S
S3	Tanner Stowers-Smith	S
T1	Jett Cleary	T	S	S

C = Club option, M = Mutual option, P = Player option, S = Supplementary contract (Formerly, Development), T = Train & Trial contract

Confirmed Top 30 2025: 29/30
Confirmed Development 2025: 3/6
Unconfirmed Top 30 2025: 29/30
Unconfirmed Development 2025: 4/6 (Luke Hanson, per Zero Tackle)

Confirmed Top 30 2026: 20/30
Confirmed Development 2026: 2/6

2026 Gains: Nil
2026 Losses: Nil

Off Contract: Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale, Tohu Harris, Edward Kosi, Te Maire Martin, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Adam Pompey, Dylan Walker, Kalani Going (S), Tanner Stowers-Smith (S), Demitric Vaimauga (C)

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[Cces]

Why didn't Warriors take a look to bring Tyrone here?

They probably did. These days the club just do a good job of keeping everything in-house into they get the signature such as they've done with JFH & Boyd

 

[Te Arai warrior]

Well this is disappointing

Willison staying at Red Hill​

A big win for the Broncos with exciting young forward Xavier Willison extending his stay at Red Hill until the end of 2027.
Reports emerged earlier in the day suggesting as much, claiming a number of clubs were willing to at least double his $250,000 salary, but Willison was willing to stay loyal.
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else, I can’t imagine not being a Bronco," said Willison.
“I owe so much to this club, without them I probably wouldn’t even be playing rugby league.
‘They gave me the opportunity to move over from New Zealand and live my dream when I was 15, and I’ll forever be grateful.
“The people here have become like my second family and I can’t wait to stay around the boys.
“Being a Dad now too makes it extra special. This is the kind of environment I want to bring my little girl up in. It gives you that extra motivation, to play for her now too.
“There’s plenty of hard work ahead, and it’s up to us now to turn up every day and do the work together.”

 

[Noitall]

Well this is disappointing

Willison staying at Red Hill​

A big win for the Broncos with exciting young forward Xavier Willison extending his stay at Red Hill until the end of 2027.
Reports emerged earlier in the day suggesting as much, claiming a number of clubs were willing to at least double his $250,000 salary, but Willison was willing to stay loyal.
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else, I can’t imagine not being a Bronco," said Willison.
“I owe so much to this club, without them I probably wouldn’t even be playing rugby league.
‘They gave me the opportunity to move over from New Zealand and live my dream when I was 15, and I’ll forever be grateful.
“The people here have become like my second family and I can’t wait to stay around the boys.
“Being a Dad now too makes it extra special. This is the kind of environment I want to bring my little girl up in. It gives you that extra motivation, to play for her now too.
“There’s plenty of hard work ahead, and it’s up to us now to turn up every day and do the work together.”

There were talks of them surely having to let someone go, now they’ve re signed Willison, going after Ben Hunt, re signed Walsh at $1.25 million a season, and have made some smaller signings like Perham. They short of second rowers, but makes me wonder if there is something to Jordan Riki let go by them?

 

[Inruin]

There were talks of them surely having to let someone go, now they’ve re signed Willison, going after Ben Hunt, re signed Walsh at $1.25 million a season, and have made some smaller signings like Perham. They short of second rowers, but makes me wonder if there is something to Jordan Riki let go by them?

And where does Ezra fit in to all of this?

 

[Noitall]

And where does Ezra fit in to all of this?

https://broncoshq.com/attachments/1000059347-jpg.30121/

This was apparently sent out to broncos members. Sounds like they are going keep him and work through it. Cobbo will be gone, but he wouldn’t have been on a huge salary and would have got an upgrade in the upcoming contract

 

[BigUCE]

https://broncoshq.com/attachments/1000059347-jpg.30121/

This was apparently sent out to broncos members. Sounds like they are going keep him and work through it. Cobbo will be gone, but he wouldn’t have been on a huge salary and would have got an upgrade in the upcoming contract

Interesting as Cobbo mentioned he wants to remain a bronco for life.

 

[Noitall]

Interesting as Cobbo mentioned he wants to remain a bronco for life.

His body language all season suggests that’s not the case anymore

 

[Noitall]

4 teams in for Ben Hunt. Dolphins, broncos, roosters and bulldogs have come back to the table

 

[MrFrankWhite]

There were talks of them surely having to let someone go, now they’ve re signed Willison, going after Ben Hunt, re signed Walsh at $1.25 million a season, and have made some smaller signings like Perham. They short of second rowers, but makes me wonder if there is something to Jordan Riki let go by them?

staggs will be gone burger

 

[Noitall]

staggs will be gone burger

Will be interesting to see, he was outspoken about being pissed off at how it went down with Kevin Walters. There’s talk over there that Tom Opacic might be heading that way after it’s turned out he’s finished up at the super league club he was with. Reckon they might prioritise Staggs over Cobbo. But if Cobbo didn’t like playing under Walters, which he said publicly that he couldn’t coach, and Staggs was loyal to him then it could work the other way?

 

[Wrighty]

Nothing we didn't know...just an article confirming Afoa is being shopped around

Warriors forward offered to several teams

The one-club Samoan International has played 138 NRL games.

www.zerotackle.com

 

[Inruin]

https://broncoshq.com/attachments/1000059347-jpg.30121/

This was apparently sent out to broncos members. Sounds like they are going keep him and work through it. Cobbo will be gone, but he wouldn’t have been on a huge salary and would have got an upgrade in the upcoming contract

What's the bet in 3 or 4 short months he will have worked through everything and then the Broncos come out and say something like the best thing for Ezra is to play League, so no games missed

 

[JaggedJ]

Zero chance he gets no games but the QLD PR cycle has already begun with articles about going to rehab, how the racial slur hurt him and sent him down this path, blah blah.

Trying really hard to push the narrative.

 

[Inruin]

Zero chance he gets no games but the QLD PR cycle has already begun with articles about going to rehab, how the racial slur hurt him and sent him down this path, blah blah.

Trying really hard to push the narrative.

Let's see how it plays out. How many games do you think he misses?

 

[Falcon]

Is Tyrone going to knights a way of keeping Leo?

Why didn't Warriors take a look to bring Tyrone here?

I think his is a 1 yr deal, Leo available from 2026. The stars are aligning

 

[Noitall]

Let's see how it plays out. How many games do you think he misses?

Needs to be at the least a catalyst for the nrl to have a look how they operate, if he’d killed someone not even the nrl could save him from those consequences. It’s tough because it’s an aspect of life I don’t begrudge anyone from partaking in but they need to make better decisions. Young guys with money and time and an ego to boot can be a dangerous mix. All clubs need to do their best to put the best role models possible to guide these guys

 

[Neo]

Let's see how it plays out. How many games do you think he misses?

I always think of Todd Carney being deregistered for urinating in his own mouth. Stupid yes, but harmless. If Greg Bird can play after glassing a woman and lying to the police about it, then I have no idea where they land on Mam

 

[Inruin]

I always think of Todd Carney being deregistered for urinating in his own mouth. Stupid yes, but harmless. If Greg Bird can play after glassing a woman and lying to the police about it, then I have no idea where they land on Mam

Todd Carney was taking the piss. Ezra's situation is a lot more serious.

 

[Fizurg]

I always think of Todd Carney being deregistered for urinating in his own mouth. Stupid yes, but harmless. If Greg Bird can play after glassing a woman and lying to the police about it, then I have no idea where they land on Mam

Carney was very much on his last chance.

 

[CWC]

Late to the party, vpn, China, firewall, ad blockers are not a good combo lol

The more I think the more I like the Boyd signing, it is good as depth as long as we have TMM or a good replacement for him, would be crazy to let TMM go and have Boyd as the regular 7.

We could start with TMM/Metcalf, 1 or both will get injured so we will have TMM/Boyd and Boyd/Metcalf. If Boyd elevates himself like Aussie recruits Ford or heck Barney under Webby then we could be a beast next year

The worst case with injuries would be Boyd/CHT, which is a lot better than Pompey/Walker.
Boyd is definitely an upgrade first drop for both half positions than CHT, especially he can actually kick goals, a legit 7 who can cover 6 as well and kick goals, inexpensive and young but experienced enough to potentially have a second spring in the step, it’s exactly what we need. 2 years deal is pretty standard for aussie young recruits now, Metcalf, Ford now Boyd

Don’t know how D Brown fits in 2026 if he wants to come you take him but maybe we end up cleaning up the whole halves to get a Hughes/Brown combo lol, that’s definitely a championship window