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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[BigUCE]

Anyone else think Dan Atkinson could be a potential option? He hasn’t missed a beat for the sharks in the halves and recently as a 14 since Hynes return. Isn’t off contract until next year but has shown he can more than hold is own in first grade

 

[AlwaysOptmistic]

That would still price Niukore as a top 10 second rower. He isn’t close to that - he can’t run a line because he’s got feet for hands, missed crucial tackles all season.

Think you're a bit harsh on him. Even in an injury interrupted season he only made 7 errors )0.5 per game) this season which is far improved than the likes of Katoa, Jordan Riki, Liam martin, Scott Sorenson etc who are averaging one or close to one per game. Had more run metres on average than a bunch of second rowers including martin etc (won't go through the full list). Tackled at above 93% which is up in the top ten for second rowers in the comp and again ahead of Liam martin and some of the top players. Problem was when he got the ball this year it was telegraphed (same short ball from Johnson that defensive lines had covered)

 

[Wahs Up TV]

If we' going by defense then CHT is a lock in as back up....and we'll be cooked if TMM has a 4-5 week injury. CHT might do the job for 1-2 weeks before reverting to 2021 form as seen this season

I’m not saying any of them are the answer but a lot just want a long kicker. You will need some halves that can defend. Metcalfe hasn’t proven that over a season but the club have put their money on him to be the future I think he needs a full year even if it goes pear shape with him at the helm. Tmm can defend to a good level. CHT has too many mental lapses but he is a capable defender.

 

[~Navigator~]

word is Hunt has parted ways with the dragons

and brought a house on the Gold coast last year,lets see who can pick where he will end up????

 

[Noitall]

and brought a house on the Gold coast last year,lets see who can pick where he will end up????

Definitely looks like titans would be the likely destination. Couple of pretty old halves in him and Foran, would be interesting to see who gets played where if it eventuates

 

[juju]

18% on $650K would make it $767K
18% on $840K would make it $991.2K

More than likely he is on $767K but we usually never know the full details. Not sure we are getting our moneys worth from him. He was good last year but I would have plenty of backrowers ahead of him.

The salary cap going up doesn't automatically mean the players contract goes up - you need a good agent to insert a ratchet clause and have the leverage for the club to include that in the deal. Maybe Marata has that, maybe he doesn't we won't know

 

[Mr. Brownstone]

Think you're a bit harsh on him. Even in an injury interrupted season he only made 7 errors )0.5 per game) this season which is far improved than the likes of Katoa, Jordan Riki, Liam martin, Scott Sorenson etc who are averaging one or close to one per game. Had more run metres on average than a bunch of second rowers including martin etc (won't go through the full list). Tackled at above 93% which is up in the top ten for second rowers in the comp and again ahead of Liam martin and some of the top players. Problem was when he got the ball this year it was telegraphed (same short ball from Johnson that defensive lines had covered)

Niukore didn’t pass the eye test this season - it’s not the number of errors but more when they happened. I’d be happy to see him as an interchange middle, but geez he’s getting overpaid. Awful desperate recruitment 2 seasons ago.

 

[juju]

Niukore didn’t pass the eye test this season - it’s not the number of errors but more when they happened. I’d be happy to see him as an interchange middle, but geez he’s getting overpaid. Awful desperate recruitment 2 seasons ago.

I'm not sure he is overpaid given the size of the salary cap.
He was signed off the back of a grand final and was a kiwi.

This season was disappointing for sure but the possible explanations of why are detailed in this forum.

 

[tajhay]

I'm not sure he is overpaid given the size of the salary cap.
He was signed off the back of a grand final and was a kiwi.

He is overpaid if he is in the top 3 highest paid backrowers in the game.

Ask any non Kiwi to name top 5/10 backrowers in the NRL. i doubt you will hear his name.

 

[juju]

He is overpaid if he is in the top 3 highest paid backrowers in the game.

Ask any non Kiwi to name top 5/10 backrowers in the NRL. i doubt you will hear his name.

Depends what figures we're going on

$625k over 4 years
or $840k over 3 years

$625k seems decent for both club and player. $840k is overs.

 

[tajhay]

Depends what figures we're going on

$625k over 4 years
or $840k over 3 years

$625k seems decent for both club and player. $840k is overs.

34

Marata Niukore (Edit)

Warriors, 28, Second-row

$850,000

as per the NRL RIch List 2024. And it is far more accurate than the numbers banded around on forums or speculated by fans.

 

[Makasene]

Oregon Kaufusi has reportedly turned down his option and is free to sign with any team for 2025

First of a few moves are in motion come Nov 1

 

[juju]

34

Marata Niukore (Edit)

Warriors, 28, Second-row

$850,000

as per the NRL RIch List 2024. And it is far more accurate than the numbers banded around on forums or speculated by fans.

As another poster mentioned the figure is calculated as a 3 year deal - but its actually a 4 year deal.

$625k seems ok given for both parties imo.

Stuff

www.stuff.co.nz

 

[tajhay]

$625k seems ok given for both parties imo.

a 625k deal signed in 2021 does not mean that it is 625k in 2023 or 2024.

 

[juju]

a 625k deal signed in 2021 does not mean that it is 625k in 2023 or 2024.

It depends on the agent and the contract with the club.

The point of contention is the article you quoted seems to have calculated it as a 3 year deal.

$850k over 3 years is overs
$625k over 4 years + ratchet clause included seems reasonable

 

[Wrighty]

Glad we didn’t sign Royce Hunt… 10 awesome minutes and then flat lined like that time Kramer took that car for a spin!

This is what the stats indicate Boats n Hoes (see above quote) if you are only generating 63 metres a game then the great runs and leaving battered bodies everywhere and line breaks is only happening for 15-20 minutes each game. You can't turn the tigers around with a guy who gives you an incredibly high impact 20 minutes per game. Players of that nature only belong in top 4 sides where they can carry an impact player who doesn't help the grind.
The Warriors won't go near Royce Hunt because our recruiting team is in the top echelon. When we do swoop in or make a play it is incredibly well researched including with stats, and not based on the eye test alone.
We are on the path to the premiership make no bones about it.
Just for shits and giggles lets introduce an academic term into this called False positives. When you run your selection algorithm over 100 players some will be false negatives - players who you reject who you should really have picked, some will be true positives who are excellent choices and some will be false positives - players you select who are destined not to work out well.
The tigers have a high proportion of false positive picks - the Warriors in recent years are nearly all true positives and occassionally some false negatives.

 

[tajhay]

are all true positives and occassionally some false negatives

i think you might need a new academic term to use as that makes no logical sense.

 

[Wrighty]

i think you might need a new academic term to use as that makes no logical sense.

You are right I should not have said ALL
I will edit my post

 

[Wah's Up]

Perhaps not, but lock is another position that he’s played well in at times at the eels in his time there. Not all second rowers can play centre, especially at an ability to represent their country there as Niukore has done. It’s certainly been a disappointing season for him, and the club in general but I think he’ll get back to his form from last year with the club knowing where he’ll be utilised and settled in his role. That’s not to say I wouldn’t see him make way for Nikora, he’s right up there as far as second rowers go

I fully understand that this is a recruitment thread and agree with most of your input. Unfortunately he like SJ, Metcalf, Tohu and many others have been playing with injuries this season. Should they all come back fully fit next year we will be back to 23 form or better.

 

[Jaffa J]

Niukore is definitely not worth the money and that was including last year when everyone was in form good player just not value for money