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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[SouthernWorrier]

We are doing a crap job on players! RTS has a winger is stupid! RTS and DWZ must be the most expensive wingers in the NRL The Storm have always showed where you spend the money and Wingers get the least!

while I don't disagree that you don't want to overpay wingers, to be fair The Storm's game plan never revolved around the back 3 taking the first hit-ups of most sets.... One of the positives from the trial was that we didn't seem to be defaulting to that so much. Hope not.

 

[Kav1]

agree, but at least the young fallah played the ball properly and didn't get pinged for playing the ball incorrectly, which is more than other nrl fgraders did in the game. also agree with most of the comments, but kosi is playing out my dream no matter what else mr kosi does in his life he has played a couple of games in the nrl - the most brutal game in the world - kia kaha Edward!

In the defence of Edward Kosi, he played pretty well outside Adam Pompey in the 2022 season (I recall him getting the better of Mulitano when they played Cronulla). A broken leg didn't help his chances of reclaiming his spot. Alas, he has not performed to a satisfactory level since then. I feel for the guy as he should not be continuously vilified on this forum.

 

[Kav1]

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.

Something about wanting a two year contract but the Warriors offered only one. Also his wife was expecting twins (probably born now) and he wanted a degree of stability. He returned to his former club (bulldogs) and should fit in well. I thought he was a reliable winger, very good under the high ball and always took up the tough hit ups. His loss can only benefit the dogs.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Could the warriors ever persuade a guy like Cobbo to the club?

There surely is no way the Broncos can keep him, and I'm sure he won't have trouble finding an aussie club, I think the Cowboys would suit him, but why not have a go?

I know it's pretty hard to get the aboriginal lads away from Australia and their families, but how could we sell it to him?

 

[hornbybrown]

In the defence of Edward Kosi, he played pretty well outside Adam Pompey in the 2022 season (I recall him getting the better of Mulitano when they played Cronulla). A broken leg didn't help his chances of reclaiming his spot. Alas, he has not performed to a satisfactory level since then. I feel for the guy as he should not be continuously vilified on this forum.

It’s weird he actually showed some real promise that year, but has progressively gotten worse which shouldn’t happen for a young pro athlete. He should be better than 2022

 

[hornbybrown]

Could the warriors ever persuade a guy like Cobbo to the club?

There surely is no way the Broncos can keep him, and I'm sure he won't have trouble finding an aussie club, I think the Cowboys would suit him, but why not have a go?

I know it's pretty hard to get the aboriginal lads away from Australia and their families, but how could we sell it to him?

I don’t know if we want to entice him.

I see the great talent and I would love to have him if I thought he would be all in.

I think we would end up paying overs to get him here and end up with someone that puts in some weeks and not other weeks. There were games in 2024 that he just looked completely disinterested and clearly wasn’t giving anywhere near

 

[CWC]

Outside back Dylan Brown?

Pompey can be a beast if he backs himself, hope he does this season, had an off night but that's what the trials are for, the positive is his mentality was actually going for the big plays rather than the conservative route.

I see many asking for an outside back so guess the management is seeing the same thing, maybe he'll really be a speedy one, because Monty wasn't, guessing an opposite of him, Arthurs would be good...but he's not that experienced, maybe?

 

[Zaggo]

In the defence of Edward Kosi, he played pretty well outside Adam Pompey in the 2022 season (I recall him getting the better of Mulitano when they played Cronulla). A broken leg didn't help his chances of reclaiming his spot. Alas, he has not performed to a satisfactory level since then. I feel for the guy as he should not be continuously vilified on this forum.

I don't care if a guy makes the odd mistake, it happens to everyone.

Kosi though seems to have a tenuous grasp on even the most basic of fundamentals. He frequently drops balls, seems out of position more often than not, and looks like he's stuck in the mud when opposition wingers get outside him.

Do I expect a world beater from a backup? No. But I do expect someone that will come in and perform at a consistent level, even if that level is pretty ordinary. They won't win you the game but shouldn't lose it for you either.

 

[CWC]

Kosi and Ford seem to be sharing the same soap

 

[Defence]

Could the warriors ever persuade a guy like Cobbo to the club?

There surely is no way the Broncos can keep him, and I'm sure he won't have trouble finding an aussie club, I think the Cowboys would suit him, but why not have a go?

I know it's pretty hard to get the aboriginal lads away from Australia and their families, but how could we sell it to him?

We would probably have to offer him fullback which I’d be open to- he’s one of the most talented players in the game imo- a freak.
Don’t know much about his personal life but it probably depends who he surrounds himself with- would a move to nz get him away from some negative influences and help him mature? Or… would we be pulling him away from a solid support network sending him further down the spiral?Idk.
Love him as a player but seems a risky one tbh.

 

[Blain]

Cobbo needs to grow up. I don't think he is worth a big contract gamble - Which we would need to even have a sniff.

Kosi just doesn't show any of the winger skills needed these days. He's a bash winger which are now out of fashion, you have to do more than that. If he has poor hands and defence, he needs to have speed and tackle breaking skill to make up for it. Like Saab. He got turned around on the weekend, the other winger was about 10m past before he even faced that right direction FFS.

 

[The Warrior Waka]

Cobbo needs to grow up. I don't think he is worth a big contract gamble - Which we would need to even have a sniff.

He is a L Mitchell, G Inglis clone. Take him away from his comfort zone and surround him with people like Rts , Fish, Barnett & we have a leadership group that could bring the best out of him.
His potential is enormous! We would be stupid not to look at him. If we took Addin Fonua Blake who also had a very chequered past. And turned him into the best prop in the NRL. We could do the same with Cobbo.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

He is a L Mitchell, G Inglis clone. Take him away from his comfort zone and surround him with people like Rts , Fish, Barnett & we have a leadership group that could bring the best out of him.
His potential is enormous! We would be stupid not to look at him. If we took Addin Fonua Blake who also had a very chequered past. And turned him into the best prop in the NRL. We could do the same with Cobbo.

Love that attitude! The kid is an absolute superstar in the making.

 

[Tokyo Warrior]

If we took Addin Fonua Blake who also had a very chequered past. And turned him into the best prop in the NRL. We could do the same with Cobbo.

I think he'd be better in the outside backs.

 

[The Warrior Waka]

Love that attitude! The kid is an absolute superstar in the making.

Him & Lattrell have very similar attitudes, Just rely on their God given talents and less about the hard work. To me, Lats could be the best player in the game. When he mucks in he fucks teams up. Ill discipline and laziness holds him back from greatness. Cobbo has the same physical attributes. And unfortunately, Has shades of Lattrells attitude creeping into his game. It's fixable....

 

[The Warrior Waka]

I think he'd be better in the outside backs.

Nah, Addin is to slow

 

[Boston Boy]

He is a L Mitchell, G Inglis clone. Take him away from his comfort zone and surround him with people like Rts , Fish, Barnett & we have a leadership group that could bring the best out of him.
His potential is enormous! We would be stupid not to look at him. If we took Addin Fonua Blake who also had a very chequered past. And turned him into the best prop in the NRL. We could do the same with Cobbo.

I would much rather go after the young Kiwi Mason Barber, make him the face of the club. Longterm fullback or potential centre wing. Cobbo if we could get him, won't stay. He is awesome but his head is not right and can be very inconsistent. I think get someone who is prepared to stay longterm and pour the money into them.

 

[The Warrior Waka]

I would much rather go after the young Kiwi Mason Barber, make him the face of the club. Longterm fullback or potential centre wing. Cobbo if we could get him, won't stay. He is awesome but his head is not right and can be very inconsistent. I think get someone who is prepared to stay longterm and pour the money into them.

Who is Mason Barber? What team does he play for?

 

[Boston Boy]

Who is Mason Barber? What team does he play for?

I have put the video up before, young Kiwi boy that the cowboys have signed until 2026 I think?
I would pay overs for him, not sure he is in the same category as Ponga etc, but I think he has the potential to develop into an RTS level player at minimum.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdn93wMZbyQ

 

[1995 Sufra!]

The New Zealand Warriors' surprise call to release talented emerging forward Zyon Maiu’u to the Canterbury Bulldogs may be put down to their roster balance.

One of the best young forwards coming out of New Zealand, Zyon Maiu’u had two years to run on his deal at the Auckland-based club and would have pushed for more games in the top grade throughout 2025.

But that will now happen at the Bulldogs following his surprise release.

Wide World of Sports' The Mole is reporting however that the release came about with the Warriors looking to increase their depth in the outside backs.