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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[Boston Boy]

Listening to Anasta and Tallis etc it seems like some big moves may be made for DCE. Could be fall out and a contract moved? They were suggesting bulldogs? Then roosters?

 

[Completion Rate]

"3. Young. No kids, no need for compassionate release."

This sounds logical but is it a bit cold????

If he wants some, get him shacked up with our wonderful wahine!

 

[miket12]

I wonder if the Eels will release Wiremu Grieg on compassionate grounds?

 

[Billyspleen75]

View: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0gIFJ8mPNtTEaxTWFw3AOu?si=DWLDbmWMTlKkXpRoWRilCw

Interesting chat. Sounds like they're happy to promote from within

Rejects any notion that the compassionate releases are an issue. That it's just a reflection of our geographical situation.
Where we release Walker, Montoya, AFB, Aitken etc we also gain JFH, Clark, CNK.
Apparently there have been 6 or so (kiwi?) players asking to come to the Warriors in the last 12 months, but they haven't worked out due to the salary cap.
Also expects a couple of calls after this news of players who could be available, even from ones that he doesn't currently know are available.

 

[Tookey 2.0]

Interesting chat. Sounds like they're happy to promote from within

Rejects any notion that the compassionate releases are an issue. That it's just a reflection of our geographical situation.
Where we release Walker, Montoya, AFB, Aitken etc we also gain JFH, Clark, CNK.
Apparently there have been 6 or so (kiwi?) players asking to come to the Warriors in the last 12 months, but they haven't worked out due to the salary cap.
Also expects a couple of calls after this news of players who could be available, even from ones that he doesn't currently know are available.

Phones ringing hot they reckon?

 

[John Nick]

Phones ringing hot they reckon?

Out going calls maybe,??

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

I wonder if the Eels will release Wiremu Grieg on compassionate grounds?

Why, where will he play?

 

[Noitall]

View: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0gIFJ8mPNtTEaxTWFw3AOu?si=DWLDbmWMTlKkXpRoWRilCw

Interesting chat. Sounds like they're happy to promote from within

Rejects any notion that the compassionate releases are an issue. That it's just a reflection of our geographical situation.
Where we release Walker, Montoya, AFB, Aitken etc we also gain JFH, Clark, CNK.
Apparently there have been 6 or so (kiwi?) players asking to come to the Warriors in the last 12 months, but they haven't worked out due to the salary cap.
Also expects a couple of calls after this news of players who could be available, even from ones that he doesn't currently know are available.

Shouldn’t have let Naufahu Whyte board the plane back to Aussie last weekend. Would be great if he wanted to come home

 

[Defence]

Regarding Cobbo, I am pretty certain his missus is a New Zealander. Her last name is Peyroux, a well-known Cook Island last name (ala former Warrior Dom Peyroux). He was probably just visiting her whanau here.

Maybe it was just a visit but wouldn’t cobbo having a kiwi misses with family here lend more weight to the chances of signing him?
What if she’s hapu and wants to have the baby in nz?
I moved to brazil for the same reason.

I’m finding it hard to believe we’ve used the required amount of cap for this year- surely something is brewing…

 

[kos]

Maybe it was just a visit but wouldn’t cobbo having a kiwi misses with family here lend more weight to the chances of signing him?
What if she’s hapu and wants to have the baby in nz?
I moved to brazil for the same reason.

I’m finding it hard to believe we’ve used the required amount of cap for this year- surely something is brewing…

You have a Brazilian wife.
How did you get back to Australia

 

[Wrighty]

Maybe it was just a visit but wouldn’t cobbo having a kiwi misses with family here lend more weight to the chances of signing him?
What if she’s hapu and wants to have the baby in nz?
I moved to brazil for the same reason.

I’m finding it hard to believe we’ve used the required amount of cap for this year- surely something is brewing…

Can you please, and don't double guess this post as I mean what I say, based on your extensive knowledge of league and involvement in league circles and hearing things tell us - and please err on the side of lengthy if possible to make it a good read, tell us
1) Why Cobbo is such a a great player - don't take it for granted we see the same things you have seen
2) Why he would be a fit for a team like the warriors
3) What position you see him coming across for
4) What is his ceiling.

When I look at his first two years he was scoring just on 20 tries each season or pro rated to be pacing for 20 tries. That's really good and maybe even in the conversation for Dally M winger numbers But nothing "freakish". e.g. I got Chatgpt on to it and she found this "Tom Trbojevic: Recorded 28 tries for the Manly Sea Eagles in 2021, the highest by a fullback and the fifth-highest in premiership history." 28 tries sounds freakish.

In his time at centre last year he scored 2 try assists in 19 games. That doesn't sound like he has any distribution abilities at all which rules out Fullback?

Please if you would be kind enough make a pro Cobbo post that addresses all of this? I won't go back and forth with you I just want to read your view in detail? We are here to discuss Rugby League so I would like to hear what you have to say.

 

[Wah's Up]

Official - Signings, Transfers & Recruitment Discussion

Who knows, pretty ordinary but somehow funny at the same time. Happy for it to not be us

sharksforever.com

Crazy rumour on sharks thread regarding Walker. Won’t post it myself in case it’s rubbish and causes issue

Yep, the rumour has been all over tictoc. Pleased you posted it this way as I was reluctant to.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Yep, the rumour has been all over tictoc. Pleased you posted it this way as I was reluctant to.

If this is indeed the case then I'm glad the club have delt with that swiftly.

 

[Noitall]

Yep, the rumour has been all over tictoc. Pleased you posted it this way as I was reluctant to.

Seen it in a few places now too. Doesn’t say much of his character if there’s any truth to it

 

[Rizzah]

Seen it in a few places now too. Doesn’t say much of his character if there’s any truth to it

No way he's done the dirty from within the club - it's the most obvious go to shit stirring rumour when someone is let go early/mid season. Grow up.

 

[KPWarrior]

View: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0gIFJ8mPNtTEaxTWFw3AOu?si=DWLDbmWMTlKkXpRoWRilCw

Interesting chat. Sounds like they're happy to promote from within

Rejects any notion that the compassionate releases are an issue. That it's just a reflection of our geographical situation.
Where we release Walker, Montoya, AFB, Aitken etc we also gain JFH, Clark, CNK.
Apparently there have been 6 or so (kiwi?) players asking to come to the Warriors in the last 12 months, but they haven't worked out due to the salary cap.
Also expects a couple of calls after this news of players who could be available, even from ones that he doesn't currently know are available.

Good listen.

I'm more inclined to believe that than some of the other rubbish floating around.

Now I can't wait to find out who's calling.

 

[Wrighty]

No way he's done the dirty from within the club - it's the most obvious go to shit stirring rumour when someone is let go early/mid season. Grow up.

Also to back up your post Rizzah there was talk of him being released flagged 6 months ago so this has been slowly in the making for monfhs.

 

[Wah's Up]

No way he's done the dirty from within the club - it's the most obvious go to shit stirring rumour when someone is let go early/mid season. Grow up.

Trouble is that all the posts that I have seen are from Sydney, not from NZ and as I said in my post I was reluctant to spread rumours.

 

[Noitall]

No way he's done the dirty from within the club - it's the most obvious go to shit stirring rumour when someone is let go early/mid season. Grow up.

I posted a link to a rumour and even the post you responded to was me saying “if” there’s any truth to it. I couldn’t really give a fuck to be honest, so I’ll just keep it to myself next time rather than be told to grow up. Retyped this a couple of times because the initial one was get fucked. Get back to your educating why debt is good that your an authority on

 

[Defence]

You have a Brazilian wife.
How did you get back to Australia

By plane.

Yeah I can’t really remember how that all panned out- somehow she got Australian citizenship through me qualifying as a permanent resident (even though I wasn’t living in Australia at the time) or something like that.
Wasn’t cheap…