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 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
-	Jett Cleary	T	S	S
-	Jye Linnane	-	✔	✔	✔
-	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: 25/30
Confirmed Supplementary 2026: 1/6

2026 Gains: Jye Linnane (Newcastle Knights)
2026 Losses: Nil

Off Contract: Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale, Morgan Harper, Edward Kosi, Te Maire Martin, Tanner Stowers-Smith
Off Contract from 01/11/25: Rocco Berry, Tanah Boyd, Kurt Capewell, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Jacob Laban, Freddy Lussick, Luke Metcalf, Marata Niukore, Taine Tuaupiki, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck

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[Wrighty]

I've also heard an unrelated rumour that we are looking at Reimis Smith as further outside back cover. wouldn't mind him on the wing with some height

Interesting....who we would rather play wing if he we get injuries? Morgan Harper or Reimiss Smith>

 

[Horriors2013]

Morgan Gannon seems a certainty.
RTS or AFB would be our biggest signings ever IMO. Who would be bigger? Not Hughes. Cleary the only one that fits. NAS a possibility. But probably April Fools.

 

[Warriorsfan92]

Morgan Gannon seems a certainty.
RTS or AFB would be our biggest signings ever IMO. Who would be bigger? Not Hughes. Cleary the only one that fits. NAS a possibility. But probably April Fools.

Ponga would be bigger. He’s one of the highest paid, state of origin, dally m, captain, marketable player in the comp

 

[RobRoyMcCoy]

I would take our entire war chest and offer it to Ponga on the assumption that we already have all our current players under contract. If we added Ponga to our current team we would be premiership contenders in my opinion.

 

[Sam Wahpira]

Also to take into consideration regarding our salary cap, is that with the spare cap for this year we are likely to front load contracts (think Marata) to reduce next year's cap as well. We can afford to sign someone for the most money ever... !

 

[kos]

I would take our entire war chest and offer it to Ponga on the assumption that we already have all our current players under contract. If we added Ponga to our current team we would be premiership contenders in my opinion.

I was at Robina last Sat night when the Titans smacked the Knights with Ponga playing
I came away from that game thinking maybe ( and I m no expert like Sup42) thinking Pongas play disrupts the six and seven - the six and seven went to their shells

 

[kos]

Ponga adds another dimension, their halves are shit which is their own problem. Saying sup42 is an expert is the more concerning point of your statement however

Ha ha.
No I really look forward to Sup42 comments
His depth of knowledge of game tactics blows me away
Are the Kinghts halves shit cause Ponga takes their opportunities away so they can just coast through the game and do fa as KP will do it all

 

[Worried2Death]

All I can say if any big signing is coming, they have already won a GF.

Is this a joke, or a hint?

 

[Matiunz]

Starting to feel we fans are setting ourselves up for a massive disappointment

 

[Canadian_Warriors_Fan]

Starting to feel we fans are setting ourselves up for a massive disappointment

We're Warriors supporters, we are used to it.

 

[Defence]

All I can say if any big signing is coming, they have already won a GF.

Idk but to me all @1995warriorsfan is saying is that people aren’t gonna come here because it’s their best shot at a premiership so they’re more likely to come if they have already won one.
Somehow u crazy fucks have turned this post into confirmation we’ve signed nathan Cleary

 

[Worried2Death]

Idk but to me all @1995warriorsfan is saying is that people aren’t gonna come here because it’s their best shot at a premiership so they’re more likely to come if they have already won one.
Somehow u crazy fucks have turned this post into confirmation we’ve signed nathan Cleary

Or this guy is so good a premiership is already in the bag? I'm starting to think it must be Christ himself, if I'm wrong, I'll take it on the chin.

 

[Five&Last]

Ha ha.
No I really look forward to Sup42 comments
His depth of knowledge of game tactics blows me away
Are the Kinghts halves shit cause Ponga takes their opportunities away so they can just coast through the game and do fa as KP will do it all

They have a natural fullback and a reserve grade level player as their starting halves.

If Ponga doesn’t step up and take the reigns they would absolutely shit the bed.

He basically is a half anyway. He’s a natural first receiver and playmaker. The problem is he always concusses himself defending in the line when he’s got 6 or 7 on his back.

 

[Playdaball]

Hughes:
Doesn’t see Akld as his home it’s Wgtn, GC and Melbourne before the City of Sails and even then other places are possibly ahead of Akld.

 

[SouthernWorrier]

We are the club of retirement contracts, a club that finds it excruciatingly hard to find halfs, and a club who has lost experience by the bucketful.

Harsh. Once, yes. Now... look at decent to good players who have come here and gotten better; Barney, AFB, Motoya, Ford. We're missing a couple of key pieces to make us consistently top 4 but look at the Reserve grade, we're building dynasty depth. Building, not there. And it's no longer SOO purgatory. As much as we have a gap to fill I just don't see DCE fills a role here for us or is consistent with pretty good recruitment to date.

 

[Garry Saloon]

Bring his Dad home after this season too

Na Webster is the goods. It took Ivan five years to get the Warriors to a grand final. Took him several years from when he first arrived at Penrith to get them to a grand final. Webster is helping build a pathways club. This will take time. If Webster is coaching us in 2030 I reckon we'll have some grand finals under our belt.

 

[FormerlyJamesW]

Somehow u crazy fucks have turned this post into confirmation we’ve signed nathan Cleary

For about a year, I've had this absolutely mental notion that once the Panthers lose their grip on premierships, Ivan will relocate the family back to NZ, see out Nathan's career and see in Jetts.

There no basis for reality and the chances of happening are one in a million, but the cap sure allows for some creativity and I bet Ivan might make a pretty good GM...

 

[Tonbridge(aka Swanley)]

Better not be DCE, that's a backwards step for a so called development club and a kick in the guts for Metcalf.

In two years, we'd be worse off.

 

[Tonbridge(aka Swanley)]

For about a year, I've had this absolutely mental notion that once the Panthers lose their grip on premierships, Ivan will relocate the family back to NZ, see out Nathan's career and see in Jetts.

There no basis for reality and the chances of happening are one in a million, but the cap sure allows for some creativity and I bet Ivan might make a pretty good GM...

What your saying is that Ivan is looking "tired"...

 

[3rdstriker]

Na Webster is the goods. It took Ivan five years to get the Warriors to a grand final. Took him several years from when he first arrived at Penrith to get them to a grand final. Webster is helping build a pathways club. This will take time. If Webster is coaching us in 2030 I reckon we'll have some grand finals under our belt.l

One hundred percent but just watch the critics as soon as he drops 4 or 5 games in a row the Jury will be out,
Even have Ivan overseeing the whole system someone with experience like that.