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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[Milking!]

I’m not a member of the Kosi fan club, but some of this is pretty poor.
He’s a back-up winger - back up! -he’s not there to be a world beater, and almost certainly isn’t paid to be one. Is (insert superstar) better? Probably, and likely at twice the price if not more. So we pay that, then you lose someone else down the line cos you’ve spent the cap?
Is any NRL winger the reason to win or lose games? Barring the occasional Cap S Shocker, not really.
Flashy NSW-level youngsters look great, but the coaching staff have copious data and reasons they haven’t been called up - if they had, why not in a trial? Cos they aren’t as good at whatever Webby and co want from a winger.
I guess what gets me is that a lot of this forum unfairly heaps a shit-ton of blame on a singular young player. Did we not make the eight because of our back-up winger? Hell no.
Haters will still hate, and ‘but, but, but …’, but I just think some perspective on all this wouldn’t hurt.

 

[Ever Hopeful]

I’m not a member of the Kosi fan club, but some of this is pretty poor.
He’s a back-up winger - back up! -he’s not there to be a world beater, and almost certainly isn’t paid to be one. Is (insert superstar) better? Probably, and likely at twice the price if not more. So we pay that, then you lose someone else down the line cos you’ve spent the cap?
Is any NRL winger the reason to win or lose games? Barring the occasional Cap S Shocker, not really.
Flashy NSW-level youngsters look great, but the coaching staff have copious data and reasons they haven’t been called up - if they had, why not in a trial? Cos they aren’t as good at whatever Webby and co want from a winger.
I guess what gets me is that a lot of this forum unfairly heaps a shit-ton of blame on a singular young player. Did we not make the eight because of our back-up winger? Hell no.
Haters will still hate, and ‘but, but, but …’, but I just think some perspective on all this wouldn’t hurt.

He had a terrible game, but some of the comments in the game day thread were on the nose a bit. He is a human trying his best in a tough sport. Missing the grade will hurt enough for him without club supporters laying in.

It reminded me of Manu Vatuvei's bad nights. Low confidence. It is the supporters job to build this up in your players rather than cannibalising them. Just my opinion.

He obviously stands out in pre-season as a solid winger. Some players struggle with the pressure of the step up. Good on Webby for sticking with him long enough to see whether he can adjust. You could see he was doing it in the game too, longer minutes to get over the early wobbles so he wasn't defined by them. Unfortunately they kept coming.

It is time for the club to move on from him now though.

 

[Playdaball]

Unfortunately Kosi also got caught out on defence when Cronulla botched up the try when 2 players tried to force the ball .
If I was an opposing half I’d target his side of the field all day.

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

It is the supporters job to build this up in your players rather than cannibalising them. Just my opinion.

We as fans shouldn’t overly criticise players, especially young ones but they are paid big money to perform and win us over, not up to us to prop them up. Kosi is paid more than most fans to live out a dream and with that comes expectation.

I like the guy and backed him when he was younger but unfortunately the fans predicted exactly this performance before it happened.

For me the lack of progress on his weaknesses over the years is just mind boggling - same stuff different year. Still like him and his backstory but there has to be progress…

 

[WA Warrior]

We as fans shouldn’t overly criticise players, especially young ones but they are paid big money to perform and win us over, not up to us to prop them up. Kosi is paid more than most fans to live out a dream and with that comes expectation.

I like the guy and backed him when he was younger but unfortunately the fans predicted exactly this performance before it happened.

For me the lack of progress on his weaknesses over the years is just mind boggling - same stuff different year. Still like him and his backstory but there has to be progress…

Well the vitriol should be jointly thrown at Webby for selecting him as well maybe?

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

Well the vitriol should be jointly thrown at Webby for selecting him as well maybe?

Agree. How can the fans know exactly how he will perform and the coach can’t? To close to the players?

To be fair to Kosi I think it’s all mental. When he had a prolonged stint in first grade and his confidence went up he was a asset.

Just don’t think it suits him as injury backup, coming in and out of the team where he obviously struggles with the pressure of the step up.

 

[SJ2k]

Can anyone explain the logic of releasing monty when we had no winger recruitment in the works, and plenty of space in the top 30? Feels like we really shot ourselves in the foot for no reason.

 

[doeeyedwarrior]

Do I misinterpret the term 'supporter'. Yeah Kosi made a mistake but rather than chastising him maybe we could look at the positive of how he picked himself up and played pretty decent the rest of the game. Yeah the Sharks made a break down his touchline for the bombed try but that looked more like the whole defence compressed rather than Ed being out of position.

We know Kosi has ability. He showed it in 2023 preinjury, maybe cut him some slack. Yeah he isn't rapid, neither was Montoya. Yeah he jammed in in defence, so did Montoya. Yep he dropped a couple of balls, so did Montoya. Montoya made metres, so does Kosi, Montoya drew in defenders, so does Kosi. I'm not saying Kosi is as good as Montoya, or not as good but there seems to be a rhetoric of hate towards Kosi that just doesn't sit right

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

Can anyone explain the logic of releasing monty when we had no winger recruitment in the works, and plenty of space in the top 30? Feels like we really shot ourselves in the foot for no reason.

Winger is the position least likely to have injury. Our two top wingers will own their position unless injured so it’s only perhaps half a dozen games a year we are looking at.

I don’t think we need an exceptional 3rd choice player. For me the third winger role should be for juniors to develop - even if out of position, just to gain experience. Ali could have played there last year, Tuaupiki should be playing there before Kosi. We have specialist wing juniors that can step up.

Wing is the one position any back can fill in at a pinch. I don’t think we need to recruit there and am not personally worried about depth.

 

[Naynay]

Well the vitriol should be jointly thrown at Webby for selecting him as well maybe?

I think its more just that the next crop of wingers are ready just yet, Kosi for all his faults can handle the level, not the ideal choice but can stick in there and is on contract. My assumption is that Webby doesn’t want to dump a kid in to get his confidence broken and end up in the same situation.

Poor Kosi I feel for him covid destroyed his development and pushed him into NRL to have exactly that happen and probably put a low ceiling on his career. Might have been able to come good if he had a couple years playing against adults in NSW Cup

 

[WA Warrior]

I think its more just that the next crop of wingers are ready just yet, Kosi for all his faults can handle the level, not the ideal choice but can stick in there and is on contract. My assumption is that Webby doesn’t want to dump a kid in to get his confidence broken and end up in the same situation.

Poor Kosi I feel for him covid destroyed his development and pushed him into NRL to have exactly that happen and probably put a low ceiling on his career. Might have been able to come good if he had a couple years playing against adults in NSW Cup

Yeah I think the criticism for Kosi is justified to an extent but the nastiness thrown his way is a little much sometimes.
All I’m saying is Webby deserves that vitriol as well if you’re throwing it at Kosi.

 

[Tragic]

Kosi is interesting. He is not quite a first grader but when the teams got mixed up and the kids came on at the end he looked pretty good. So he is a top reserve grade player that just can't make the step up and the added pressure that comes with it.

 

[Cces]

Well the vitriol should be jointly thrown at Webby for selecting him as well maybe?

Fair call. If you isolate Kosi as a right Wing in the NRL then he's passable as a back up. As a left Wing, he's unlikely to make the starting lineup for the stronger NSW/Q Cup sides.
To warrant a spot in a top 30 as a back up you need to be reliable in more that one specific position & he just ain't that.

 

[Dannevegas]

Who’s the outside back rumoured to us?

here’s a couple of realistic suggestions.
Sami, Ravalawa, Francis, Karapani, To’a

 

[WA Warrior]

Who’s the outside back rumoured to us?

here’s a couple of realistic suggestions.
Sami, Ravalawa, Francis, Karapani, To’a

I like the look of Karapani.
I believe the rumour said we were looking at an experienced outside back which would rule him out.
To’a another good shout, wouldn’t mind him.

 

[Cces]

Poor Kosi I feel for him covid destroyed his development

Kosi had 22 games of Flegg & 10 games of Reserve grade before he made his debut which was due to a plethora of injuries. If Covid hadn't occurred there would be no way he would have been training with the squad fulltime & getting a crack at the NRL. The way he bounced back for his nightmare of a debut is commendable but he's played 50 games of Reserve grade with just 21 tries to show across 2 teams that inevitably make the playoffs.
I can't see any point keeping him on any longer than we are contractual obligated to