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	Chanel Harris-Tavita	✔	✔
13	Sam Healey	✔	✔	✔
14	Edward Kosi	✔
15	Jacob Laban	✔	✔
16	Ali Leiataua	✔	✔	✔
17	Freddy Lussick	✔	✔
18	Te Maire Martin	✔
19	Luke Metcalf	✔	✔
20	Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	✔
21	Marata Niukore	✔	✔
22	Adam Pompey	✔
23	Taine Tuaupiki	✔	✔
24	Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	✔	✔
25	Demitric Vaimauga	✔	✔	✔	✔
26	Dylan Walker	✔
27	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
-	Kahu Capper	T	T
-	Jett Cleary	T	S	S
-	Eddie Ieremia-Toeava	T
-	Motu Pasikala	T

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

Confirmed Top 30 2025: 27/30
Confirmed Supplementary 2025: 6/6
Unconfirmed Top 30 2025: 27/30
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, Edward Kosi, Te Maire Martin, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Adam Pompey, Dylan Walker

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[Teets]

Getting a team up and running, growing the pathways and culture for the club is the first hurdles. Then in the longer term you could be in a position for a title.

Ironically, if the game in NZ grows significantly with a second team, I think it puts the Warriors in a better position to win a title than with just the single team.

This is the big picture stuff everyone misses in the debate.

Warriors, Kiwis, and NZ Rugby League as a sport in general all benefit from more pathways and more kids playing the game.

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

This is the big picture stuff everyone misses in the debate.

Warriors, Kiwis, and NZ Rugby League as a sport in general all benefit from more pathways and more kids playing the game.

And more sponsorship; corporate support; post career opportunities; coaching talent; etc.

Plus more pro sport to support stadium upgrades and investment to support better facilities.

A bigger sport can only be a positive.

 

[Iridescent]

Is this still the recruitment thread?

 

[Fizurg]

Few problems with the team at first glance.
Aged backline with Hiku and Rapana.
Spine was mainly 'run first' when you had Manu at 1, Hughes and whoever at 6. However you have changed that. Which arguably makes it worse, a team with Rapana or Nikorima at FB will not win the NRL.
Forward pack is pretty much the Kiwis one (a good thing obviously), but Tohu is past it now IMO.

Given the restrictions they put on themselves it’s still pretty impressive though.

 

[peewee]

Is this still the recruitment thread?

Makes you wonder doesnt it

 

[Worried2Death]

Is this still the recruitment thread?

Looks like there won't be any last minute recruitment surprises before now and round 1. So this is the squad. Still no wiser who plays 7, or 13, Tom Ale? Pack should be good with some young guns emerging, we seem to have too many centres and not enough speed, hoping new hooker Healey kicks on and is a bit more of a threat than Lussick, but Freddy's getting better too, can cover any position from the bench. Nothing else to do now but wait for the trials and see what Webby can come up with without Hughes, Brown, Staggs, Naufahu Whyte and all the other hypothetical pipe dreams we had.

 

[BigUCE]

Looks like there won't be any last minute recruitment surprises before now and round 1. So this is the squad. Still no wiser who plays 7, or 13, Tom Ale? Pack should be good with some young guns emerging, we seem to have too many centres and not enough speed, hoping new hooker Healey kicks on and is a bit more of a threat than Lussick, but Freddy's getting better too, can cover any position from the bench. Nothing else to do now but wait for the trials and see what Webby can come up with without Hughes, Brown, Staggs, Naufahu Whyte and all the other hypothetical pipe dreams we had.

Don’t forget Freddy can now cover prop as well!

 

[Fizurg]

Don’t forget Freddy can now cover prop as well!

Well he is bigger than Jazz.

 

[Blain]

Well he is bigger than Jazz.

Only in height, largely due to his neck

 

[Damo]

Only in height, largely due to his neck

DCE and Freddy are neck level.

 

[dean]

I watched Healy in the NSW Cup final. Thought he was workmanlike. Hard to compare players and I've only followed him once but I was hoping for more from him and on that showing he looked behind Freddy as a hooker.

 

[Inruin]

I watched Healy in the NSW Cup final. Thought he was workmanlike. Hard to compare players and I've only followed him once but I was hoping for more from him and on that showing he looked behind Freddy as a hooker.

I am worried that he is over hyped by fans to start with. I think he will start in NSW Cup and if he can earn his way in then so be it.

Same with Tanah Boyd on the back of a long kicking game. There is a reason that the Titans moved him from 7 to 6 and then tried to convert him in to a hooker.

 

[BabylonPink]

I am worried that he is over hyped by fans to start with. I think he will start in NSW Cup and if he can earn his way in then so be it.

Same with Tanah Boyd on the back of a long kicking game. There is a reason that the Titans moved him from 7 to 6 and then tried to convert him in to a hooker.

Des Hasler being an absolute mad C#$t has something to do with that too.

 

[Inruin]

Des Hasler being an absolute mad C#$t has something to do with that too.

Prior to his time. GC won 1 in the first 9 games this year with him at 7 and 8 games the previous year with him at 7. Des may be mad but he made the necessary changes to get better results

 

[Worried2Death]

Prior to his time. GC won 1 in the first 9 games this year with him at 7 and 8 games the previous year with him at 7. Des may be mad but he made the necessary changes to get better results

That's worrying. How did he go at hooker

 

[Damo]

Prior to his time. GC won 1 in the first 9 games this year with him at 7 and 8 games the previous year with him at 7. Des may be mad but he made the necessary changes to get better results

Tanah Boyd was the least of their problems tbf.

 

[Cces]

When did Tanah Boyd last play Hooker? Zero starts there and no games from the bench since midway through 2022

 

[Inruin]

When did Tanah Boyd play Hooker? Zero starts there and no games from the bench since midway through 2022

The bench games they were trying to use him as a hooker.

'I'm ready': Boyd eyes vacant No. 9 jersey

There is plenty of intrigue surrounding the dummy-half position at the Gold Coast Titans this season.

www.titans.com.au

Could he be our 14 bench option. Better than CHT?

 

[Christchurch_Warrior]

When did Tanah Boyd play Hooker? Zero starts there and no games from the bench since midway through 2022

23 games from the bench in the NRL. 9 last year

Tanah Boyd - Playing Career - Positions - RLP

A stats breakdown of positions played by Tanah Boyd, a rugby league player who played for the Gold Coast Titans and the Warriors.

www.rugbyleagueproject.org

 

[Cces]

23 games from the bench in the NRL. 9 last year

Tanah Boyd - Playing Career - Positions - RLP

A stats breakdown of positions played by Tanah Boyd, a rugby league player who played for the Gold Coast Titans and the Warriors.

www.rugbyleagueproject.org

Yeah. No games from the bench since 2022 so can't see how Des tried converting him to Hooker.
Australian Schoolboys number #6 so I can't buy the angle, posted by soneone else, that any coach pushed him there either