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	Tanah Boyd	✔	✔
6	Kurt Capewell	✔	✔
7	Erin Clark	✔	✔	✔
8	Wayde Egan	✔	✔	✔
9	James Fisher-Harris	✔	✔	✔	✔
10	Jackson Ford	✔	✔	✔
11	Leka Halasima	✔	✔	✔
12	Tohu Harris	✔
13	Chanel Harris-Tavita	✔	✔
14	Sam Healey	✔	✔	✔
15	Edward Kosi	✔
16	Jacob Laban	✔	✔
17	Ali Leiataua	✔	✔	✔
18	Freddy Lussick	✔	✔
19	Zyon Maiu’u	✔	✔
20	Te Maire Martin	✔
21	Luke Metcalf	✔	✔
22	Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	✔
23	Marata Niukore	✔	✔
24	Adam Pompey	✔
25	Taine Tuaupiki	✔	✔
26	Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	✔	✔
27	Demitric Vaimauga	✔	✔	✔	✔
28	Dylan Walker	✔
29	Dallin Watene-Zelezniak	✔	✔	✔
S1	Kayliss Faitialofa	S
S2	Kalani Going	S
S3	Luke Hanson	S
S4	Sio Kali	S
S5	Patrick Moimoi	S
S6	Tanner Stowers-Smith	S
T1	Daeon Amituanai	T
T2	Jaydee Auloa	T
T3	Kahu Capper	T	T
T4	Jett Cleary	T	S	S
T5	Augustino Filipo	T
T6	Etuane Fukofuka	T
T7	Moala Graham-Taufa	T
T8	Eddie Ieremia-Toeava	?
T9	Brandon Norris	T
T10	Motu Pasikala	T	?	?
T10	Jason Salalilo	T
T11	Makaia Taufa	T
T12	Rodney Vea	T

C = Club option, M = Mutual option, P = Player option, S = Supplementary contract (Formerly, Development), T = Train & Trial contract, ? = Wtf is up with Motu Pasikala

Confirmed Top 30 2025: 29/30
Confirmed Supplementary 2025: 6/6
Unconfirmed Top 30 2025: 29/30
Unconfirmed Supplementary 2025: 6/6

Confirmed Top 30 2026: 22/30
Confirmed Supplementary 2026: 1/6

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

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[Noitall]

I have to stop getting carried away imagining hypothetical ‘26, ‘27 forward packs … but if we could get Leo Thompson …

Would be great but if he’s asking for the $700-$800k a season price tag, I reckon it’s too high. Naufahu Whyte still the top of my list. Hypothetically

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Gee thats alot of back rowers in the 2026 top 30.
Kurt Capewell
Jackson Ford
Jacob Laban
Leka Halasima
Eddie Ieremia-Toeava

Capewell will be getting on by then.

 

[Inruin]

Capewell will be getting on by then.

yeah but he will be amped up to try for back to back premierships as well

 

[Tookey 2.0]

Nearly shit my pants....saw an article with the headline 'Bryan Fletcher makes huge call on Brandon Smith's future as Warriors development emerges' which is essentially a nothing article where Fletcher said he'd go good at Wahs or Rabbitohs.

No actual link to us though....phew!

 

[Noitall]

Nearly shit my pants....saw an article with the headline 'Bryan Fletcher makes huge call on Brandon Smith's future as Warriors development emerges' which is essentially a nothing article where Fletcher said he'd go good at Wahs or Rabbitohs.

No actual link to us though....phew!

Brandon Smith on potential 'sketchy' situation at the Roosters which will decide his immediate future | Sporting News Australia

Sydney Roosters signing of NSW hooker Reece Robson has signalled the end of Brandon Smith’s short stint in Bondi. So, where does the New Zealand international's future now lie?

www.sportingnews.com

Read this today about him asking his agent to enquire at particular clubs where he’d like to go. Would like to go to a club pushing for a premiership and thinks he could add value

 

[Milking!]

Nearly shit my pants....saw an article with the headline 'Bryan Fletcher makes huge call on Brandon Smith's future as Warriors development emerges' which is essentially a nothing article where Fletcher said he'd go good at Wahs or Rabbitohs.

No actual link to us though....phew!

I’d love it if that rascal came over to us. 20 mins at hooker to save Wayde getting battered as much, then just being a maniac in the middle.

 

[Wrighty]

I’d love it if that rascal came over to us. 20 mins at hooker to save Wayde getting battered as much, then just being a maniac in the middle.

To quote Barack Obama -
Ring Ring
Ring Ring
Hello Barack here
Oh its for you Milking 2021 is calling and they want their version of Brandon Smith back and you can't have him.

 

[BrisbaneWarrior]

Cheese will end up at the Rabbits

 

[Ramps]

I’d love it if that rascal came over to us. 20 mins at hooker to save Wayde getting battered as much, then just being a maniac in the middle.

Love it when hes in form, despite the attitude. But good 15 min stints in both halves will bring some much needed energy and aggression off the bench. Even if he starts at hooker to open up the middle, then allow Egan to come in with some crafty dummy half skills. Eventually moving into prop/lock, having two crazy maoris creating havoc in the middle with JFH would be pretty scary for the opposition.

 

[juju]

Cheese has always had such a crap attitude to the warriors I think we couldn't really have him at the club & it not feel like we last on his wish list.

Kinda funny how it worked out for him at the Roosters - from being head hunted by the coach on big $ and all "I looked at the jersey and just want to win a premiership in that jersey" to being punted in two seasons. Thats a fall from grace.

 

[Playdaball]

The big 7s youth tournament is kicking off today at Dilworth College. I’ve just driven past and already crowds are lining up.
Hopefully Cappy and his team are out there having a look.
This was the tournament that the Warriors entered a team a few years ago.
It’ll be on Sky this weekend .

 

[Noitall]

Cheese has always had such a crap attitude to the warriors I think we couldn't really have him at the club & it not feel like we last on his wish list.

Kinda funny how it worked out for him at the Roosters - from being head hunted by the coach on big $ and all "I looked at the jersey and just want to win a premiership in that jersey" to being punted in two seasons. Thats a fall from grace.

I agree. He even acknowledged in that article I posted that he needs a club that understands his sense of humour. Seems like a guy with not much of a filter to keep some things to himself? There’s also if rumours are true of borrowing money off teammates for gambling but hard to say as his salary wasn’t small? It’s really hard to say with players having negative feelings towards clubs? Let’s not pretend that potentially the era he’s mentioned us in a negative light was warranted? Also in you mentioning similar with Kini that you’d heard, but I remember when SJ went to the sharks that he had some pretty unfriendly remarks about the club. And understandably with how that went down, but he came back despite having an offer from bulldogs at the time

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Gee thats alot of back rowers in the 2026 top 30.
Kurt Capewell
Jackson Ford
Jacob Laban
Leka Halasima
Eddie Ieremia-Toeava

I would start toeava at centre before moving to the backrow.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Dont want Brandon Smith here at all! He's not going to be inspiring to the young guys, he could most likely lead them astray.


Would love him at the peak of his powers at 13, but he's just too much of a dick head to realise his true potential.

 

[Ramps]

Dont want Brandon Smith here at all! He's not going to be inspiring to the young guys, he could most likely lead them astray.


Would love him at the peak of his powers at 13, but he's just too much of a dick head to realise his true potential.

Doubt any of our young boys are dumb enough to use him as a role model. We have enough role models in the team to keep him in line. JFH will tell him where to go. But his passion on the field can be inspirational at times, the way he throws his body around.

 

[Fizurg]

I agree. He even acknowledged in that article I posted that he needs a club that understands his sense of humour. Seems like a guy with not much of a filter to keep some things to himself? There’s also if rumours are true of borrowing money off teammates for gambling but hard to say as his salary wasn’t small? It’s really hard to say with players having negative feelings towards clubs? Let’s not pretend that potentially the era he’s mentioned us in a negative light was warranted? Also in you mentioning similar with Kini that you’d heard, but I remember when SJ went to the sharks that he had some pretty unfriendly remarks about the club. And understandably with how that went down, but he came back despite having an offer from bulldogs at the time

Yeah there some pretty bad rumours floating around about the Cheese. Seems like his team mates and staff have had enough of him.
Also did SJ ever actually say anything bad about the club? I always felt he kept it pretty classy especially when the club tried to screw him over. There was a line about having 9 coaches and one of them didn’t like him or something like that.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Doubt any of our young boys are dumb enough to use him as a role model. We have enough role models in the team to keep him in line. JFH will tell him where to go. But his passion on the field can be inspirational at times, the way he throws his body around.

One bad egg is all you need ramps.

 

[Ramps]

One bad egg is all you need ramps.

True but when u have someone of the mana like JFH, he'll humble you pretty quickly.

 

[Noitall]

Yeah there some pretty bad rumours floating around about the Cheese. Seems like his team mates and staff have had enough of him.
Also did SJ ever actually say anything bad about the club? I always felt he kept it pretty classy especially when the club tried to screw him over. There was a line about having 9 coaches and one of them didn’t like him or something like that.

Can recall when he initially went over, he stayed with Andrew Fifita until he got himself sorted. There was some things going around at that time that weren’t very complementary to the club

 

[BigUCE]

Cheese got mouldy at the roosters