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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[CWC]

This will sound like a Ruthless post but the NRL is a business

The problem areas and underpeformers for the Warriors were
1) Shaun Johnson - not his fault though as I have posted they studied video on him and neutralised him and he didn't react,
SOLUTION IN PLACE FOR 2025 - Shaun saw the writing on the wall and fell on his own sword
2) RTS terrible winning record at centre
SOLUTION REPORTEDLY IN PLACE FOR 2025 - Being moved to Wing
3) Egan getting knocked out every third match
SOLUTION WE FIINSHED THE YEAR WITH - Lussick to start Egan to come off bench
4) Jackson Ford's Pure Shit House Discipline. Most penalties conceded in the team by some distance 4th in the team for most Errors made.
PARTIAL SOLUTION - Removed from Second Row 80 minute role to limit his minutes on the field. Finished year as a bench prop. Let's hope we don't go back to him as a starter.

UNRESOLVED NON PERFORMERS AND PROBLEM AREAS FROM 2024
4) Tohu Harris - where will this land? Will they put him on the bench and just give him 40 minutes per game or will they put this down to him playing injured in 2024. Towards the end they reduced his minutes I suspect his days playing 80 are over. He reacted well to playing less minutes and was able to empty the tank over 45 minutes much better.
5) CNK at Fullback - he fucked the dog at Fullback all year after being a top 5 elite full back in 2023. No Solution in place and doesn't seem to have been noted by the coaching hierarchy. Some fans want him at centre.
6) PATHETIC GOAL KICKING ALL YEAR - Will they put Taine into the team or muddle through with the bog average Pompey and Metcalf
7) PATHETIC DROP GOAL KICKING - No Solution in place. Suggest we go for a tries in golden point instead (joke)
8) Halves depth - need to recruit another half as we only have three.

Taine solves 5) and 6), could be the option for 7), and allows Charnz to be back up for 8) (five-eighth)

This piece of puzzle is like a domino lol

We do need to sign a back up 7, unless CHT plays like TMM and let Metcalf and Taine do most of the kicking, and ALL of the goal kicking

Tohu if still suck we bring forward the succession schedule for Clark at 13

 

[Stalefish540]

Ale is a career fringe player aslong as he's here.

Clark (not Clarke) has done the leave and come back, maybe time for Ale to do the same.

Yea definitely not saying he deserves an out and out spot, just from a personal point of view would like to see him get regular FG in his career.

Think he can negotiate from Nov 1st for 2026. Will be interested to see if the club stands in his way for 2025 if he were to get offers elsewhere.

He'll be 26 in April next year, so he needs to get a wriggle on.

 

[Rizzah]

View: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_ttAO6pSn3/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Jazz is fish and chip pepper now, move on cunt!

 

[france]

well back in the day, you kept your mouth shut, never spoke about anything bothering you, you sucked it up, and then shoved it way down deep until it wouldn't see the light of day, and I mean when you scored a try you just jogged it back to the half way mark, no smiling laughing and jumping all over each like they used to do in soccer or football or whatever the hell they call it now, "sigh" those were the days (lol), where anything emotional never dared be shown by word, gesture or deed (lol) , now days the only emotion I show is to my missus or my mokos (grandchildren) or when I watch my kdrama, my kids are so gutted - "gee dad how come you're so soft with them", aaahhh go tell your mother - bloody snowflakes

 

[Falcon]

Have been big on Ale since he came up into reggies. For one reason or another the club just hasn't found a spot for him in grade. Tohu and Walker blocking 13 which I feel is more his actual position not prop, then not getting decent minutes at prop off the bench.

Feel like he's more of a player that builds into a game, so that isn't going to happen any time soon as a starter with our propping stocks.

Adding Clark just backfills Jazz, so that's another road block for him. Seems Sifakula is now ahead of him in the pecking order also.

Hoping he can find a new club and get some decent FG under his belt. Definitely feel there's a real first grader in there.

I agree, apart from finding a new club.
I was genuinely excited when he came through and had high hopes.
It would be nice to see him start a game and let Walker sub on for impact which he did do well last season.

 

[AlwaysOptmistic]

TBH it was dogshit. I've said enough about Harris but Marata cant defend to save his life and Capewell spends his time cleaning up after whoever else is in the backrow. Also there's zero threat or ability to break a tackle, apart from said Capewell who is usually fragged from clean up duty.

Marata is one of our better defenders and tackles at 93% which is solid considering some of the shifting sands around him.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Marata is one of our better defenders and tackles at 93% which is solid considering some of the shifting sands around him.

93% on the tackles he attempts. When he sets his feet in concrete and gets run around like he’s a statue, it’s not counted.

Marata got on my shit list exactly like Tofu did and so I spent games watching him. Him and Walker were shit in the second row.

 

[Tookey 2.0]

Yea definitely not saying he deserves an out and out spot, just from a personal point of view would like to see him get regular FG in his career.

Think he can negotiate from Nov 1st for 2026. Will be interested to see if the club stands in his way for 2025 if he were to get offers elsewhere.

He'll be 26 in April next year, so he needs to get a wriggle on.

I've been vocal about being disappointed at how Ales been used this season, and have had a look around and can see a lot of similarities with Terrel May.

Both are the same age and weight, Terrel has 4 inches over Ale (where it counts, height!) and both had similar years last year - Ale averaging 25 minutes off the bench for 15 tackles and 75m a game, while Terrel had 33 minutes average, with 20 tackles and 95m a game.

Both have gone in completely different directions - Terrel has played almost every game and has had big minutes, and started at prop a bunch. He's looking like a corner stone of their pack for the next 5+ years. In comparison Ale has gone backwards - 22 minutes average and in and out of the team. Seems to have played decent in cup too...

Imo Ale should be a bench prop getting 25-45 minutes a game. I hope the rookies haven't jumped him just yet, really hoping for a break out year for him in 2025

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

I've been vocal about being disappointed at how Ales been used this season, and have had a look around and can see a lot of similarities with Terrel May.

Both are the same age and weight, Terrel has 4 inches over Ale (where it counts, height!) and both had similar years last year - Ale averaging 25 minutes off the bench for 15 tackles and 75m a game, while Terrel had 33 minutes average, with 20 tackles and 95m a game.

Both have gone in completely different directions - Terrel has played almost every game and has had big minutes, and started at prop a bunch. He's looking like a corner stone of their pack for the next 5+ years. In comparison Ale has gone backwards - 22 minutes average and in and out of the team. Seems to have played decent in cup too...

Imo Ale should be a bench prop getting 25-45 minutes a game. I hope the rookies haven't jumped him just yet, really hoping for a break out year for him in 2025

It has to be tooks! Contract year has to mean somthing! I want webby to unleash his offload! He's a very skillful player.

Give the man a fucken license! We are far more dangerous when we promote the football and play adlib.

 

[Boats n Hoes]

Imo Ale should be a bench prop getting 25-45 minutes a game. I hope the rookies haven't jumped him just yet, really hoping for a break out year for him in 2025

Not singling you out but Ive read this for about the last 3 years on this forum....."could be the breakout year"..........i just dont see it with Ale im afraid.....i get he could maybe be better used but geez i think he's had more than enough oppertunity to nail a spot if he was good enough.......tbh i just dont see him any more than a depth squad member at best....think a few of the younger up n comers have over taken him......and definitely have higher ceilings.

 

[Inruin]

Not singling you out but Ive read this for about the last 3 years on this forum....."could be the breakout year"..........i just dont see it with Ale im afraid.....i get he could maybe be better used but geez i think he's had more than enough oppertunity to nail a spot if he was good enough.......tbh i just dont see him any more than a depth squad member at best....think a few of the younger up n comers have over taken him......and definitely have higher ceilings.

Is he the next Bunty Afoa?

 

[kos]

It has to be tooks! Contract year has to mean somthing! I want webby to unleash his offload! He's a very skillful player.

Give the man a fucken license! We are far more dangerous when we promote the football and play adlib.

That’s enough of that!
Adlib football!
Sorry mate that’s not in coaches game plan

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Not singling you out but Ive read this for about the last 3 years on this forum....."could be the breakout year"..........i just dont see it with Ale im afraid.....i get he could maybe be better used but geez i think he's had more than enough oppertunity to nail a spot if he was good enough.......tbh i just dont see him any more than a depth squad member at best....think a few of the younger up n comers have over taken him......and definitely have higher ceilings.

The Warriors aren't the bench mark for how to do things though. We're the team that got rid of Katoa.

 

[peewee]

Is he the next Bunty Afoa?

If he doesnt improve...... YES

 

[Stalefish540]

93% on the tackles he attempts. When he sets his feet in concrete and gets run around like he’s a statue, it’s not counted.

Marata got on my shit list exactly like Tofu did and so I spent games watching him. Him and Walker were shit in the second row.

He trained all pre season as an impact middle. Was beefed up a bit and we saw how damaging he could be in that role in the trial.

Small foot fracture in the preseason kept him out till Rnd 4, then some other major foot issue from that game kept him out till Rnd 12. Capewell and Ford we so ineffective when he finally came back from missing the best part of half the season he now had to play edge because of Ford/Capewells form. He was on a bit of a hiding to nothing really if you step back and look at the situation.

Wasn't a good year all round injury/positional/form wise for him, agree with you there. Looks like he has two more years left on that big money contract. Hopefully we get the 2023 form as an impact middle to get our moneys worth the remaining two years.

Leka/Laban should be getting prioritised in 2025 for one of those edge spots along side Capewell if form permits.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Not singling you out but Ive read this for about the last 3 years on this forum....."could be the breakout year"..........i just dont see it with Ale im afraid.....i get he could maybe be better used but geez i think he's had more than enough oppertunity to nail a spot if he was good enough.......tbh i just dont see him any more than a depth squad member at best....think a few of the younger up n comers have over taken him......and definitely have higher ceilings.

Surelybhes not the new bunty! Promising so much every season

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Imagine the swag we would have with Mulitalo and Leiataua on that left edge!

Mulitalo is only 25 next season and is peaking! We need his signature November 1, I would even trade RTS for it.

 

[Worried2Death]

Imagine the swag we would have with Mulitalo and Leiataua on that left edge!

Mulitalo is only 25 next season and is peaking! We need his signature November 1, I would even trade RTS for it.

In a heartbeat, sorry Rog business is business

 

[MrFrankWhite]

He trained all pre season as an impact middle. Was beefed up a bit and we saw how damaging he could be in that role in the trial.

Small foot fracture in the preseason kept him out till Rnd 4, then some other major foot issue from that game kept him out till Rnd 12. Capewell and Ford we so ineffective when he finally came back from missing the best part of half the season he now had to play edge because of Ford/Capewells form. He was on a bit of a hiding to nothing really if you step back and look at the situation.

Wasn't a good year all round injury/positional/form wise for him, agree with you there. Looks like he has two more years left on that big money contract. Hopefully we get the 2023 form as an impact middle to get our moneys worth the remaining two years.

Leka/Laban should be getting prioritised in 2025 for one of those edge spots along side Capewell if form permits.

Completely agree on the reasons why. I feel its more of the poor man management than anything. Marata can be, and has been, a great player.