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	Zyon Maiu’u	✔	✔
19	Te Maire Martin	✔
20	Luke Metcalf	✔	✔
21	Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	✔
22	Marata Niukore	✔	✔
23	Adam Pompey	✔
24	Taine Tuaupiki	✔	✔
25	Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	✔	✔
26	Demitric Vaimauga	✔	✔	✔	✔
27	Dylan Walker	✔
28	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: 28/30
Confirmed Supplementary 2025: 6/6
Unconfirmed Top 30 2025: 29/30
Unconfirmed Supplementary 2025: 6/6

Confirmed Top 30 2026: 23/30
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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[Noitall]

good to see specific love & commitment to the club, not just an easy bolt hole away from dad and bro's shadows.

That said...bloodlines matter more in horses than people, if he's going to make the grade it's got to be on merit and not name. Good luck to him, hope he thrives.

You would think that if his career progresses that Ivan would want to be apart of his journey after being apart of Nathan’s? Could come over as a director of coaching like the role John Hart helped him out

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

You would think that if his career progresses that Ivan would want to be apart of his journey after being apart of Nathan’s? Could come over as a director of coaching like the role John Hart helped him out

GM! Or if webby doesn't work out then Head Coach ti GM!

 

[Tookey 2.0]

GM! Or if webby doesn't work out then Head Coach ti GM!

Serious question and probably shouldn't be in the recruitment thread, but is Cleary actually any good as a coach?

Has had arguably one of the best halves of all time in Nathan, along with a boom crop of juniors in Martin, Luai, Lenui, Crichton, Burton, and co who have all been international and Origin stars all come through at the same time.

I feel even I would have won a couple of premierships as coach if I inherited that team haha. I do think Cleary is a good coach, just with the 4 time Prems tag I think he's going to be spoken about as an all time goat coach, when I'm not sure he's THAT good

 

[Inruin]

Serious question and probably shouldn't be in the recruitment thread, but is Cleary actually any good as a coach?

Has had arguably one of the best halves of all time in Nathan, along with a boom crop of juniors in Martin, Luai, Lenui, Crichton, Burton, and co who have all been international and Origin stars all come through at the same time.

I feel even I would have won a couple of premierships as coach if I inherited that team haha. I do think Cleary is a good coach, just with the 4 time Prems tag I think he's going to be spoken about as an all time goat coach, when I'm not sure he's THAT good

Has bought the right players through at the right times. Has also moved on a number of players during that four years. Does help having a potential future immortal in Nathan in a key position for him. But 4 premierships is 4 premierships. He also took us to a grand final so he is.a hell of a coach!

 

[SouthernWorrier]

Serious question and probably shouldn't be in the recruitment thread, but is Cleary actually any good as a coach?

Has had arguably one of the best halves of all time in Nathan, along with a boom crop of juniors in Martin, Luai, Lenui, Crichton, Burton, and co who have all been international and Origin stars all come through at the same time.

I feel even I would have won a couple of premierships as coach if I inherited that team haha. I do think Cleary is a good coach, just with the 4 time Prems tag I think he's going to be spoken about as an all time goat coach, when I'm not sure he's THAT good

Criminally under appreciated. No one doubts bellamy tho he had slater + cronk + smith holding everything together for years.
He even got us to the final in all 3 comps right before being shafted. Not a big personality so doesnt get huge press, but yes he's right up there for mine.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Serious question and probably shouldn't be in the recruitment thread, but is Cleary actually any good as a coach?

Has had arguably one of the best halves of all time in Nathan, along with a boom crop of juniors in Martin, Luai, Lenui, Crichton, Burton, and co who have all been international and Origin stars all come through at the same time.

I feel even I would have won a couple of premierships as coach if I inherited that team haha. I do think Cleary is a good coach, just with the 4 time Prems tag I think he's going to be spoken about as an all time goat coach, when I'm not sure he's THAT good

No you couldn't, sorry to break it to you.

And yes! Somebody who wins four premierships in a row in the NRL is pretty decent i would say, don't you?

 

[juju]

Serious question and probably shouldn't be in the recruitment thread, but is Cleary actually any good as a coach?

Has had arguably one of the best halves of all time in Nathan, along with a boom crop of juniors in Martin, Luai, Lenui, Crichton, Burton, and co who have all been international and Origin stars all come through at the same time.

I feel even I would have won a couple of premierships as coach if I inherited that team haha. I do think Cleary is a good coach, just with the 4 time Prems tag I think he's going to be spoken about as an all time goat coach, when I'm not sure he's THAT good

What he did with some pretty mid tier Warriors squads was enough to demonstrate he was a talent coach.

4 in a row easily cements he is in rarefied air of being on the goat coaches.

 

[Milking!]

What he did with some pretty mid tier Warriors squads was enough to demonstrate he was a talent coach.

4 in a row easily cements he is in rarefied air of being on the goat coaches.

Totally agree. Look at Kevvie Walters at the Bronx for example. Talent and resource-wise, they should be a regular top 4 contender … but were so inconsistent it was mind-melting.
With Cleary overseeing the greatest dynasty in the salary cap era, while losing almost an entire team’s worth of high-calibre talent - I reckon the debate is more is he the GOAT NRL coach.

 

[Noitall]

Totally agree. Look at Kevvie Walters at the Bronx for example. Talent and resource-wise, they should be a regular top 4 contender … but were so inconsistent it was mind-melting.
With Cleary overseeing the greatest dynasty in the salary cap era, while losing almost an entire team’s worth of high-calibre talent - I reckon the debate is more is he the GOAT NRL coach.

For all the shit that John Hart got across his career, he was an extremely astute coach and I think he would have instilled some great traits in Cleary early in his coaching career

 

[Milking!]

Since the chat is going off-piste at the mo, and cos it comes up a bit, I wonder if the NRL should roll out some type of trade window-type setup.
You could set up parameters with the players association so everyone’s happy - disgruntled players have a mechanism to leave, clubs get something back, it’s easier to rebalance cooked rosters (eg, could the Titans turn one of their million fullbacks into a quality halfback?), and it would be more fodder and attention for media and forums? Everyone wins, no?