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

---

This thread is solely for Warriors recruitment and retention discussion. Any posts not related to the above will be deleted.

Repeat offenders will have their access to this page limited.

Please be mindful of what you are posting in this thread before clicking the reply button. Zero Tolerance to offtopic chat.

 

[Makasene]

Makes zero sense to release a young contracted player on peanuts unless we are getting someone else in.
Tof Sipley doesn’t exactly excite me

What about him do you feel is not necessary for us?

General consensus on here post-game last season was that he would be an excellent piece for our bench if we could get him.

 

[Iridescent]

Makes zero sense to release a young contracted player on peanuts unless we are getting someone else in.
Tof Sipley doesn’t exactly excite me

Makes little sense to keep a guy that is struggling to crack first grade who has asked to leave.

The club literally said they wanted to keep him but he wants to leave, what do you suggest they do, hold him against his will? it doesn't work.

 

[Makasene]

Makes little sense to keep a guy that is struggling to crack first grade who has asked to leave.

The club literally said they wanted to keep him but he wants to leave, what do you suggest they do, hold him against his will? it doesn't work.

You would have to think though that what preceded this was him being told opportunities will be limited.

Realistically It would take significant poor form or injury for him to make his way into the team. And even then the club can still go ultra-safe and pick someone like Bunty

 

[Five&Last]

Sounds to me like a move to open up NSW cup minutes for Rodney Vea and Harry Durbin.

My guess is those two have impressed in the offseason training. Also have Jason Salalilo and Tobias Crosby doing preseason, so there's plenty of young props trying to get NSW cup minutes.

I don't think Zyon Maiu’u becomes anything more than a bench prop in his prime. Super aggressive player which is always a plus. But he's not big by any means and doesn't have any footwork. He has only has speed and hard runs, those type of players don't really move the needle. On top of that, he's a liability defensively.

He's been underwhelming in NSW cup for a long time. He needed to start producing output at that level.

Always a weird one when people group him with Halasima and Demitric in terms of talent.

 

[Makasene]

Sounds to me like a move to open up NSW cup minutes for Rodney Vea and Harry Durbin.

My guess is those two have impressed in the offseason training. Also have Jason Salalilo and Tobias Crosby doing preseason, so there's plenty of young props trying to get NSW cup minutes.

I don't think Zyon Maiu’u becomes anything more than a bench prop in his prime. Super aggressive player which is always a plus. But he's not big by any means and doesn't have any footwork. He has only has speed and hard runs, those type of players don't really move the needle. On top of that, he's a liability defensively.

He's been underwhelming in NSW cup for a long time. He needed to start producing output at that level.

Always a weird one when people group him with Halasima and Demitric in terms of talent.

Great take and not something I had considered.

Makes sense if they don't see him stepping up then all he is really doing is blocking someone that can.

I think you see this too in his Bulldogs contract, 2 years does not say they think he is the next big thing. It is the same contract Melbourne gave Katoa. They are asking Zyon Maiu’u to prove himself, that will not be easy to do

 

[Cces]

I've got a feeling that Zyon Maiu’u's career path will mirror Franklin Pele's. Lots of hype, joins Bulldogs then gets spat out of Ciraldo's system within a year to then go on to the Super League

 

[Makasene]

Always a weird one when people group him with Halasima and Demitric in terms of talent.

What Demitric Vaimauga was able to do in first grade off the back of an ACL was nothing short of scary.

If we had to lose Zyon Maiu’u to keep Demitric Vaimauga, it's a no brainer

 

[Five&Last]

I've got a feeling that Zyon Maiu’u's career path will mirror Franklin Pele's. Lots of hype, joins Bulldogs then gets spat out of Ciraldo's system within a year to then go on to the Super League

Pele was lazy.

Zyon Maiu’u from all reports is a good kid and has the professionalism required (good trainer etc.)

But you need talent to take you that extra bit further, which imo he doesn't have.

Have to laugh when people were getting excited about him running over scrubs in that National U20 comp in Auckland.

 

[Noitall]

Interesting looking on the knights LU forum, they say knights were in talks with Zyon Maiu’u before bulldogs snapped him up. Highly likely considering they wanted a loan situation a couple of years ago with Zyon Maiu’u. Been a few rumours of the club shopping players with the likes of Bunty and Freddy Lussick, but none that would be on high salaries so you’d have to think it’s the top 30 sot they’re wanting to free up?

 

[Lance155]

Are we just going to ignore that Sipley now follows the Warriors instagrm page? That pretty much guarantees it for me

 

[Five&Last]

Are we just going to ignore that Sipley now follows the Warriors instagrm page? That pretty much guarantees it for me

Are we sure he didn't always? Pretty common for players to follow clubs they've played for previously

 

[Noitall]

Are we just going to ignore that Sipley now follows the Warriors instagrm page? That pretty much guarantees it for me

Not to mention wikipedia saying it was so

 

[Dannevegas]

Sounds to me like a move to open up NSW cup minutes for Rodney Vea and Harry Durbin.

My guess is those two have impressed in the offseason training. Also have Jason Salalilo and Tobias Crosby doing preseason, so there's plenty of young props trying to get NSW cup minutes.

I don't think Zyon Maiu’u becomes anything more than a bench prop in his prime. Super aggressive player which is always a plus. But he's not big by any means and doesn't have any footwork. He has only has speed and hard runs, those type of players don't really move the needle. On top of that, he's a liability defensively.

He's been underwhelming in NSW cup for a long time. He needed to start producing output at that level.

Always a weird one when people group him with Halasima and Demitric in terms of talent.

Do you see Durbin and Vea ahead Of Crosby on the pecking order?

 

[Lance155]

Are we sure he didn't always? Pretty common for players to follow clubs they've played for previously

Well he wasn't last week when I checked....

 

[Five&Last]

Do you see Durbin and Vea ahead Of Crosby on the pecking order?

Definitely

 

[WA Warrior]

Well he wasn't last week when I checked....

That’s too much of a coincidence then.
He must be coming.

 

[Ever Hopeful]

My memories of Tof at the Warriors are of him being burned laterally in the days props didn't need to be as mobile. He certainly has impact off the bench, which will help our territory fade from last year. Who in the know has been watching his defensive mobility?

 

[Inruin]

Dont know how credible this is but there has to be something going on. Surely?

Tof Sipley

Don’t know how good the source is, but hearing he may be announced as going to the Warriors This gains legs by the Warriors releasing a good up and coming prop to the Dogs today

silvertails.net

If we instead end up signing Aloiai i hope everyone turns up at Mt Smart wearing rainbow colours so he pleads to go back.

Pretty sure you can wear the socks for Sipley as well.

 

[mrblonde]

Makes little sense to keep a guy that is struggling to crack first grade who has asked to leave.

The club literally said they wanted to keep him but he wants to leave, what do you suggest they do, hold him against his will? it doesn't work.

Exactly.

If any player asks to leave, my inclination is not to fight it. I'd have let Mr Husband of Cookie Lady (forget his name and it's late) go in 2023, frankly.

Okay, not gonna delete that but obviously I mean AFB.

 

[sballer7]

I feel like AW is the sort of guy that would be fairly honest with a player. I'd say they've had their pre season player meetings, AW had told him minutes and opportunities are limited, we want you to stick around and wok through it, but if you want I can have a word with CC at the dogs who is potentially looking for a middle. Then the deal was done. IC, AW and CC would all be pretty tight and get deals done behind closed doors ie JFH, Jett, all the panthers now at the dogs, Montoya and now Zyon Maiu’u.