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	Jett Cleary	✔	S	S
9	Wayde Egan	✔	✔	✔
10	James Fisher-Harris	✔	✔	✔	✔
11	Jackson Ford	✔	✔	✔
12	Leka Halasima	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
13	Morgan Harper	✔
14	Chanel Harris-Tavita	✔	✔
15	Sam Healey	✔	✔	✔
16	Edward Kosi	✔
17	Jacob Laban	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
18	Ali Leiataua	✔	✔	✔
19	Jye Linnane	✔	✔	✔	✔
20	Freddy Lussick	✔	✔
21	Te Maire Martin	✔	✔
22	Luke Metcalf	✔	✔
23	Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	✔	✔	✔
24	Marata Niukore	✔	✔
25	Adam Pompey	✔	✔	✔
26	Tanner Stowers-Smith	✔	✔	✔
27	Taine Tuaupiki	✔	✔
28	Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	✔	✔
29	Demitric Vaimauga	✔	✔	✔	✔
30	Dallin Watene-Zelezniak	✔	✔	✔
S1	Kayliss Fatialofa	S
S2	Kalani Going	S
S3	Luke Hanson	S
S4	Eddie Ieremia-Toeava	S	✔	✔
S5	Sio Kali	S
S6	Patrick Moimoi	S
-	Kahu Capper	T	T
-	Morgan Gannon	-	✔	✔	✔
-	Motu Pasikala	T	?	?

C = Club option, M = Mutual option, P = Player option, S = Supplementary contract, T = Train & Trial contract

Top 30 2025: 30/30
Supplementary 2025: 6/6

Top 30 2026: 27/30
Supplementary 2026: 1/6

2026 Gains: Morgan Gannon (Leeds Rhinos)
2026 Losses: Edward Kosi (South Sydney Rabbitohs)

Off Contract: Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale, Morgan Harper
Can negotiate with other clubs from Nov 1, 2025 (Entering final year) : Rocco Berry, Tanah Boyd, Kurt Capewell, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Freddy Lussick, Te Maire Martin, Luke Metcalf, Marata Niukore, Taine Tuaupiki, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck

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[Hitro]

KNIGHTS SIGN COWBOYS GUN​

Newcastle have taken the first step to replacing Leo Thompson by signing North Queensland young gun Will Sullivan.

Sullivan is a graduate of the Cowboys’ Young Guns program and played a handful of games last year with their Queensland Cup side.

He is on a development deal at the Cowboys this season and it is understood he has agreed terms to join the Knights next year as they look to strengthen their pack following the loss of Thompson.

The Knights are yet to agree deals with a handful of their current forwards. Adam Elliott, Jack Hetherington, Kai Pearce-Paul and Jayden Brailey could all be on the move at the end of the year.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...ws-story/f63b26d33f1ec900af4e67e17467a61b?amp

Not Ale, but is there chat of Ale being let go or on the move?

no haven't heard anything, he's off contract at the end of this year

 

[BuntyAppreciationSociety]

Plus when you join the warriors you sign up to 60k km per year travel, 8 hours minimum plus transit times per away game, whereas play in Sydney and Queensland and you often stay home largely for weeks. Must be another factor

it's worth keeping in mind that not every Aussie is living a dream life over here. Some are keen to get away from the spotlight for whatever reason. Some have family roots in nz that they haven't explored. Australians will continue to come to NZ - maybe not in the numbers we want, but the more Australian links you have the more chances you get. Webster and his connection to penrith is a big one.

 

[run_it_str8_again]

Wonder where we see in the squad that there’s a place for recruitment? There’s some money in the cap and do we recruit or use it to upgrade young guys? Seem to be content with our halves, is fullback a position we could target for recruitment? Hazelton was a target, but seems like he’ll stay put? Are we looking for that particular shape? Could Leniu who wants out of roosters be an option for an impact prop or too unpredictable?

Leniu has ups and downs. Would be an expensive bench impact forward in my opinion.

 

[Tookey 2.0]

Leniu has ups and downs. Would be an expensive bench impact forward in my opinion.

Hardly an issue for us though, I think we're paying Dyl Walker 700k...

 

[run_it_str8_again]

tbh Cameron George & Andrew Webster need a wake up call. I 'm fully supporive of our team but they are not going to get the Club a premiership. However they do keep bums on seats & that seems to be all the hierarchy is interested in. After 30 yrs it's all getting a little bit jaded..
Up the Wahs

We've been jaded for ages. We still back this at times ragtag bunch of nobodies and at other times super star studded bunch of individuals.

Webby and George have as much opportunity to get the maiden premiership as any previous administration I reckon

 

[run_it_str8_again]

Hardly an issue for us though, I think we're paying Dyl Walker 700k...

Wasn't Zyon Maiu’u our Spencer Leniu already?

 

[Tookey 2.0]

Wasn't Zyon Maiu’u our Spencer Leniu already?

Who?

Haha nah, tbh I don't want Lenui at our club but was just pointing out that we don't seem to have an issue spending a bit of $$$ for the bench, especially as we've recently promoted a few players likely on minimum contract for this year, while we still haven't spent Tohu or SJs money yet.

 

[Canadian_Warriors_Fan]

 

[JustLikeStartingOver]

Ew. I know they need someone of berry can’t play for a while. But ew

 

[UpTheWahs]

View attachment 11895

Surely fucking not.

I hope not.

 

[JustLikeStartingOver]

If you said we could get a 26 year old kiwi who played 64 nrl games as mostly a specialist center and left the words “Morgan” and “Harper” out of it, it might seem reasonable…..

 

[WarriorsForever]

Confirmed. Morgan will join our top 30 for this season.

Morgan Harper signs with NRL team for 2025

He last played for the Parramatta Eels.

www.zerotackle.com

 

[Ever Hopeful]

...and the predicted worst case scenario has occurred just like we all knew it would. I swear this was already written in stone at the end of last year.

 

[Christchurch_Warrior]

Confirmed. Morgan will join our top 30 for this season.

Morgan Harper signs with NRL team for 2025

He last played for the Parramatta Eels.

www.zerotackle.com

So do we have more Kosi fans now?

 

[Warriorsfan92]

Morgan fucking Harper. Nahh, ain’t it. I get all the “we needed depth”, “he’s got experience”, etc he’s also really really shit. Hope he doesn’t debut.

 

[BlackToko88]

I woulda just given MGT a contract over Harper tbh.

 

[Damo]

Not excited about the prospect of him defending but makes sense otherwise. Experienced, Low cost, won't get in the way of developing other players, will plug the Berry sized gap until he has recovered.

 

[Fufu]

I suddenly love Eddie Kosi

 

[BlackToko88]

But now we can unleash the combo of Harper x Kosi. Will have teams shaking in their boots

 

[Fufu]

Not excited about the prospect of him defending but makes sense otherwise. Low cost, won't get in the way of developing other players, will plug the Berry sized gap until he has recovered.

Unless this is minimum wage, it makes zero sense, even at minimum wage it kinda sucks lol