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	Morgan Harper	✔
13	Chanel Harris-Tavita	✔	✔
14	Sam Healey	✔	✔	✔
15	Edward Kosi	✔
16	Jacob Laban	✔	✔
17	Ali Leiataua	✔	✔	✔
18	Freddy Lussick	✔	✔
19	Te Maire Martin	✔
20	Luke Metcalf	✔	✔
21	Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	✔
22	Marata Niukore	✔	✔
23	Adam Pompey	✔	✔	✔
24	Tanner Stowers-Smith	✔
25	Taine Tuaupiki	✔	✔
26	Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	✔	✔
27	Demitric Vaimauga	✔	✔	✔	✔
28	Dallin Watene-Zelezniak	✔	✔	✔
S1	Kayliss Faitialofa	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
-	Jett Cleary	T	S	S
-	Motu Pasikala	T	✔	✔

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

Confirmed Top 30 2025: 28/30
Confirmed Supplementary 2025: 6/6

Confirmed Top 30 2026: 21/30
Confirmed Supplementary 2026: 1/6

2026 Gains: Nil
2026 Losses: Nil

Off Contract: Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale, Morgan Harper, Edward Kosi, Te Maire Martin, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Tanner Stowers-Smith

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[j_p]

One offs happen I get but it’s happening far too often

Is it though?
As another poster mentioned I think the compassionate ground release sentiment is overblown.

 

[Boston Boy]

I'm not unhappy, as it is a chance for Healy who I think will do us alright there.

Walker is long in the tooth and likely to break down/deteriorate on a fairly sizeable contract.

We have the room to make a big move.

We'll see how it pans out. Big shock though.

Healey seems like a major threat in the middle third and is a very good defender from what I have seen - imagine if he played like this:
View: https://youtu.be/tCiJ1KK9g8g?si=wu4ktfmvMSV1ACMG

 

[Matiunz]

Is it though?
As another poster mentioned I think the compassionate ground release sentiment is overblown.

Meant us releasing players without a plan/suitable replacement- we are 3 games into the season and we have released 3 players- could stretch that to 4 if you count Montoya (had enough time to make plans there).
That is some odd behaviour for a club.

 

[KO WAI RA]

The real question is, who from the cup team can even fit the role Walker has filled?

TMM to partner with Luke & CHT to ball play from bench…
Also Tom Ale been cracking it in cup!!

 

[Riz]

TMM to partner with Luke & CHT to ball play from bench…
Also Tom Ale been cracking it in cup!!

Poor timing for Ale's injury.

 

[Neo]

Meant us releasing players without a plan/suitable replacement- we are 3 games into the season and we have released 3 players- could stretch that to 4 if you count Montoya (had enough time to make plans there).
That is some odd behaviour for a club.

Each time though they are being replaced by a talented youngster (doesn’t sound like Pasikala has worked out as the Montoya replacement though). Halasima apparently trained all off season at lock so could play 60 minutes there in place of Walker and you could bring Laban onto the bench to cover the second row.
Despite all of the comings and goings we are still remaining strong in NSW Cup so we must be doing something right. A couple of marquee signings would be good though

 

[Boston Boy]

Each time though they are being replaced by a talented youngster (doesn’t sound like Pasikala has worked out as the Montoya replacement though). Halasima apparently trained all off season at lock so could play 60 minutes there in place of Walker and you could bring Laban onto the bench to cover the second row.
Despite all of the comings and goings we are still remaining strong in NSW Cup so we must be doing something right. A couple of marquee signings would be good though

Halasima would be excellent at 13, he is more powerful, more dynamic but it's whether he can get his passing going. He is such a dynamic running threat I don't know if we would want him to pass, the upside is he would definitely draw attention from the defence.

 

[Theking267]

I get the feeling Walker wasn’t going to be resigned for 26. Plus letting him go now is better than what happened with Addin last year

 

[roguei]

I get the feeling Walker wasn’t going to be resigned for 26. Plus letting him go now is better than what happened with Addin last year

I really don't get the vibe that he was at all unhappy at the club like AFB was.

 

[Zaggo]

Surely we must have some monster signings coming at some point.

We have shed huge amounts of salary from our cap.

Or am I delusional and instead we'll end up extending Kosi for 4 years?

 

[Inruin]

Surely we must have some monster signings coming at some point.

We have shed huge amounts of salary from our cap.

Or am I delusional and instead we'll end up extending Kosi for 4 years?

When you think about losing SJ, Tohu and now Walker at reasonably short notice with no apparent replacements coming in, there must be a fair amount of cap to spend

Add in the players not signed for next season....

 

[Bobbysea]

Just fell to my knees on the golf course

Yeah this is going to play havoc with my twilight golf

 

[sydneywarrior92]

How much are we under the cap now for this year? I thought we were close to 1M under before this news.

 

[Makasene]

We released

Meant us releasing players without a plan/suitable replacement- we are 3 games into the season and we have released 3 players- could stretch that to 4 if you count Montoya (had enough time to make plans there).
That is some odd behaviour for a club.

Released 4 players in 3 rounds?

I don't follow.

 

[WahsaurusRex]

When you think about losing SJ, Tohu and now Walker at reasonably short notice with no apparent replacements coming in, there must be a fair amount of cap to spend

Add in the players not signed for next season....

If only there was someone you wants to leave his current club, in a position we need, that would demand that kind of mon-

*Stone Cold Steve Austin Glass Smash*

 

[Funky Ed Koosie]

If only there was someone you wants to leave his current club, in a position we need, that would demand that kind of mon-

*Stone Cold Steve Austin Glass Smash*

View attachment 12226

The Nek Minit jokes would just write themselves.

Just adding an edit so I don't get a ban. We must have alot of cap space to sign DCE,

 

[Naumaifooty]

Fuck it might as well offer Kalyn $2mil per year for 5 years.

 

[Theking267]

the coaching staff can’t stop the progress of the young players coming through. NSW Cup is looking good this year. Leka needs more minutes and Laban can replace his minutes on the edge

 

[JaggedJ]

Laban has been playing great to start the year - could now get a shot.

Vaulmaga/Halasima have been going well and can now get more minutes.

Healey has been going great in NSW Cup and is a big enough body to play hooker and lock if we didn't want to chew up interchanges on a pure hooker.

TMM and Boyd are versatile enough to play multiple roles.

Forget looking externally, this is the plan, build from within.

Plus, do we need to name a bench replacement now or can we wait until 24 hours before the game. Webby playing 4D chest - "You don't know who the replacement is and we could release anyone at a moments notice. Oooohhh."

 

[Warriorshopeful]

The Walker news comes as a bit of a shock due to the timing. 3 rounds in and was also named to play this weekend so have to say it would of been fairly unexpected from the clubs P.O.V. and leaves us a little short on experience but we still have plenty of forwards. Just might have to shift some of the roles around a bit.

Thanks for your services Dylan and all the best! This also allows the young guys Leka and Demetric more time on the field too hopefully.

We must have a decent war chest now with SJ, Walker and Tohu all leaving. I don't get the DCE chatter he is not what we need atm. We also have Sio Kali and Moala Graham-Taufa as backups too so still a fair bit of depth.