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	The Greatest of All-Time	✔	✔
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	✔	M
13	Edward Kosi	✔
14	Jacob Laban	✔	✔
15	Ali Leiataua	✔
16	Freddy Lussick	✔	✔
17	Zyon Maiu’u	✔	✔
18	Te Maire Martin	✔
19	Luke Metcalf	✔	✔
20	Marcelo Montoya	✔
21	Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	✔
22	Marata Niukore	✔	✔
23	Motu Pasikala	✔	✔	✔
24	Adam Pompey	✔
25	Demitric Sifakula	✔	C
26	Taine Tuaupiki	✔
27	Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	✔	✔
28	Dylan Walker	✔
29	Dallin Watene-Zelezniak	✔
D1	Kalani Going	D
D2	Tanner Stowers-Smith	D
T1	Jett Cleary	T	D	D

C = Club option, M = Mutual option, P = Player option, D = Development contract, T = Train & Trial contract

Confirmed Top 30 2025: 29/30
Confirmed Development 2025: 2/6
Unconfirmed Top 30 2025: 29/30
Unconfirmed Development 2025: 3/6 (Luke Hanson, per Zero Tackle)

Confirmed Top 30 2026: 13/30
Confirmed Development 2026: 1/6

2026 Gains: Nil
2026 Losses: Nil

Off Contract: Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale, Jackson Ford, Tohu Harris, Ed Kosi, Ali Leiataua, Te Maire Martin, Marcelo Montoya, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Adam Pompey, Taine Tuaupiki, Dylan Walker, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Kalani Going (D), Tanner Stowers-Smith (D), Chanel Harris-Tavita (M), Demitric Sifakula (C)

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[Tookey 2.0]

If we go into next year with TMM/Metcalf/CHT as our halves, may as well write off the season. We'd need TMM to play at his ceiling all year, and Metcalf to take a huge step up, combined with them miraculously staying fit when they're injury prone.

We can make do everywhere else, but we absolutely must sign a half, even a journeyman. We had those 3 + SJ this year and still had to play non halves in the role.

Yeah I agree we deffo need someone else as carrying 3 is a big risk, but imo if TMM plays as well as he did at half back this year, and Metcalf continues his current trajectory and both can remain fit for 80% of the year I think we'll all be pleasantly surprised.

I'm not sure if we have the halves to win the whole thing, but if we were to continue with our forward pack the way it played this year, clean up our D and get a bit lucky with injuries, I think we'll be in with a chance of going deep in to finals.

A backline with Rocco and Ali at centre, Metcalf playing the whole year and Roger on the wing has enough speed and x factor to attack from anywhere. A bit of x factor on the bench with Halasima, Sifakula and hopefully Clark, and I think we're better than a good portion of the other clubs already

 

[CWC]

6 foot is pretty tall for a hooker

View: https://youtu.be/Cc2A7Ki8JcU

Lussick can go lol

 

[Kav1]

Yeah I agree we deffo need someone else as carrying 3 is a big risk, but imo if TMM plays as well as he did at half back this year, and Metcalf continues his current trajectory and both can remain fit for 80% of the year I think we'll all be pleasantly surprised.

I'm not sure if we have the halves to win the whole thing, but if we were to continue with our forward pack the way it played this year, clean up our D and get a bit lucky with injuries, I think we'll be in with a chance of going deep in to finals.

A backline with Rocco and Ali at centre, Metcalf playing the whole year and Roger on the wing has enough speed and x factor to attack from anywhere. A bit of x factor on the bench with Halasima, Sifakula and hopefully Clark, and I think we're better than a good portion of the other clubs already

We also have depth in Jette Cleary - good bloodlines and under the past influence of our coach.

 

[Tookey 2.0]

We also have depth in Jette Cleary - good bloodlines and under the past influence of our coach.

Yeah true, and Luke Hanson who's arguably ahead of Jett currently. I wonder if we can get away with giving them a game or three this year. Maybe off the bench, or with minimal expectation to give them a taste, but also to save having to bring in another player. Would be a huge risk tho

 

[Christchurch_Warrior]

Yeah true, and Luke Hanson who's arguably ahead of Jett currently. I wonder if we can get away with giving them a game or three this year. Maybe off the bench, or with minimal expectation to give them a taste, but also to save having to bring in another player. Would be a huge risk tho

I could see the club going to market for a half on a 2 year deal. Allows time for the young ones coming through who hopefully will be FG standard and gives us injury cover. As we found out this year having 4 halves was needed.

 

[AlwaysOptmistic]

I can’t believe we paid freight for Katoa like seriously that blows my mind.

I can’t fathom.

Not like hes going to go gangbusters at the storm... wait a minute (did take a season though)

 

[Tookey 2.0]

Surely were looking at Daejarn Asi?

It was rumoured he's heading off to Super League but there hasn't been any confirmation either way, so I wonder if that's stalled?

Just turned 24, has played 40+ games, has a good kicking game and has already played for us.

It's a small sample size but 11 games at half back, he's scored 2, set up 5, and averages 342 kick meters and 1.1 forced drop outs a game. Would be a decent back up, and looks to already have a better kicking game than any of our halves at the club.

 

[Tohu’s_Knees]

I just hope we don’t sign Hastings.

 

[WahsaurusRex]

In person, Mustard has the best bomb I have ever seen.

If we keep going with the bomb to the right corner (which for all the shit it gets, I think we can mostly agree that when we are disciplined, its fine. Just infuriating when we aren't), and if there was an injury where he'd have to come in, that spiral, with a galloping Berrysiah running at you, would give you the shits if you are the opposing left winger lol. We might actually have the chance to get the ball back or force an error

Worst case scenario, we'd have an ordinary 4th half option, that prevents us throwing Charnze, Walker, or one of the kids into the fire.

Best case scenario, we have a really solid back up 7, that is still plenty young.

 

[Christchurch_Warrior]

In person, Mustard has the best bomb I have ever seen.

If we keep going with the bomb to the right corner (which for all the shit it gets, I think we can mostly agree that when we are disciplined, its fine. Just infuriating when we aren't), and if there was an injury where he'd have to come in, that spiral, with a galloping Berrysiah running at you, would give you the shits if you are the opposing left winger lol. We might actually have the chance to get the ball back or force an error

Worst case scenario, we'd have an ordinary 4th half option, that prevents us throwing Charnze, Walker, or one of the kids into the fire.

Best case scenario, we have a really solid back up 7, that is still plenty young.

Who is Mustard?

 

[Billyspleen75]

Who is Mustard?

Daejarn Mustard

 

[Damo]

Surely were looking at Daejarn Asi?

It was rumoured he's heading off to Super League but there hasn't been any confirmation either way, so I wonder if that's stalled?

Just turned 24, has played 40+ games, has a good kicking game and has already played for us.

It's a small sample size but 11 games at half back, he's scored 2, set up 5, and averages 342 kick meters and 1.1 forced drop outs a game. Would be a decent back up, and looks to already have a better kicking game than any of our halves at the club.

Rumours are he is a terrible trainer, kind of makes sense with him being through 3 NRL clubs already in his short career.

 

[Aman 2.0]

Rumours are he is a terrible trainer, kind of makes sense with him being through 3 NRL clubs already in his short career.

He has that real lazy laid back vibe to him.

Big pass on Asi. Either develope within or we recruit a ready made star.

 

[CWC]

Surely were looking at Daejarn Asi?

It was rumoured he's heading off to Super League but there hasn't been any confirmation either way, so I wonder if that's stalled?

Just turned 24, has played 40+ games, has a good kicking game and has already played for us.

It's a small sample size but 11 games at half back, he's scored 2, set up 5, and averages 342 kick meters and 1.1 forced drop outs a game. Would be a decent back up, and looks to already have a better kicking game than any of our halves at the club.

He looked better than CHT when he played for us, Monty Betham is a big fan. Lazy or not he walks into first drop for TMM with the current stock we've got lol

 

[Neo]

He looked better than CHT when he played for us, Monty Betham is a big fan. Lazy or not he walks into first drop for TMM with the current stock we've got lol

I would take CHT. He is very good at locking down that side defensively, which is where Asi struggles.

 

[hornbybrown]

SJ - $650k

AFB - $1.1m (also how’s he going to the sharks for $850?)

Jazz - -400k?

Montoya - $350k?

Plus the lodge money which was about $700k should be coming off now

How is there not a major signing incoming?

Don’t care about if players are contracted or not we should be throwing over a million ++ at someone we really want.

I forgot about the Lodge money

 

[Warriorsfan92]

With all respect to fish, I don’t think he soaked up all of afb contract. He was on 1.1 mill. We also gave fish security of a 4 year deal.

 

[AlwaysOptmistic]

I forgot about the Lodge money

Lodge $700k was used up end of 2023 I do believe, something like 18 months on from may 2022

 

[The Warrior Waka]

Lodge $700k was used up end of 2023 I do believe, something like 18 months on from may 2022

June this year I thought it ended ?

 

[Noitall]

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Sime_11​

Juniors​

Messages1,652

• Today at 2:19 PM
• 
  
• #32,169

personally something tells me Leota will seek a release to NZ as well in the offseason - i think we will release 1 more forward this offseason unless Sorro retires





This is off the panthers LU recruitment thread. Not sure if the poster has any inside knowledge