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	Jett Cleary	✔	S	S
9	Wayde Egan	✔	✔	✔
10	James Fisher-Harris	✔	✔	✔	✔
11	Jackson Ford	✔	✔	✔
12	Leka Halasima	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
13	Morgan Harper	✔
14	Chanel Harris-Tavita	✔	✔
15	Sam Healey	✔	✔	✔
16	Edward Kosi	✔
17	Jacob Laban	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
18	Ali Leiataua	✔	✔	✔
19	Jye Linnane	✔	✔	✔	✔
20	Freddy Lussick	✔	✔
21	Te Maire Martin	✔
22	Luke Metcalf	✔	✔
23	Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	✔	✔	✔
24	Marata Niukore	✔	✔
25	Adam Pompey	✔	✔	✔
26	Tanner Stowers-Smith	✔	✔	✔
27	Taine Tuaupiki	✔	✔
28	Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	✔	✔
29	Demitric Vaimauga	✔	✔	✔	✔
30	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
-	Morgan Gannon	-	✔	✔	✔
-	Motu Pasikala	T	?	?

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

Top 30 2025: 30/30
Supplementary 2025: 6/6

Top 30 2026: 26/30
Supplementary 2026: 1/6

2026 Gains: Morgan Gannon (Leeds Rhinos)
2026 Losses: Edward Kosi (South Sydney Rabbitohs)

Off Contract: Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale, Morgan Harper, Te Maire Martin
Can negotiate with other clubs from Nov 1, 2025 (Entering final year) : Rocco Berry, Tanah Boyd, Kurt Capewell, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Freddy Lussick, Luke Metcalf, Marata Niukore, Taine Tuaupiki, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck

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[BangBro's (still banging)]

Interesting thought. I think it's a bit different these days with the way players train and prepare, Tedesco still performs at a high level (albeit not at his obvious physical peak) and RTS is arguably one of the best performing wingers this season. If he was in a better team, he would be a shoe in for Dally M winger of the year you would think.

Yeah but these type of players are a class above.

Dallin is not a class above most wingers.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Spot on Sup
He is just so reliable never gets injured great defender.

Great defender is a stretch.

 

[Naynay]

Think it would be disappointing to see the club sign AKP, Kio is coming up nicely and surely either gets the call next year or the year after. And for all the DWZ hate i would probably rather him if thats the replacement.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Think it would be disappointing to see the club sign AKP, Kio is coming up nicely and surely either gets the call next year or the year after. And for all the DWZ hate i would probably rather him if thats the replacement.

We need 1 winger now and 1 more at the end of next year

 

[The Warrior Waka]

Kio is coming up nicely and surely either gets the call next year

If you're samoan you'll know we have "Kio" all through the backline now.

 

[tyrael]

here is another transfer rumor

EXCLUSIVE: New Zealand Warriors express interest in Titans speedster

He has been shopped to rival teams.

www.zerotackle.com

I would ask if we can get him immediately (or start 2026). Rts played right wing for the roosters?

I know Marata is taking heaps of cap space too. Can't we wait for him to leave. Upgrade LEKA and Vaimaunga and get another player.

 

[Boston Boy]

Alofiana Khan-Pereira and TT were electric together in Q Cup. It will add another dimension to our team. It will add significant strike, long range tries will become a thing for the Warriors. It won't improve our defence though, but we've been trying that for along while.

 

[Dantheman]

Alofiana Khan-Pereira and TT were electric together in Q Cup. It will add another dimension to our team. It will add significant strike, long range tries will become a thing for the Warriors. It won't improve our defence though, but we've been trying that for along while.

I think the past few weeks have shown Taine isn't going to lead us to a premiership at fullback. Id love AKP to come here though, his defence can't be any worse than Dallin.

 

[Ferdie]

Think this is the best spot to put this. Apologies if not.

My understanding is the salary cap is a grant distributed by the NRL to the clubs to pay their players. Teams are obligated to spend 97.5% and if they don't they receive some form of monetary fine.

The reason I bring this up is I was talking to someone who is adamant we're 1M under the cap and the club is content with paying a fine which seems an outrageous claim. Yes, Tohu retired, but contracts begin on 'Nov 1st so there's a couple hundred thousand gone before his announcement without even factoring in upgrades and bonuses that have occurred since.

In what world would a club pay money out of their own pockets to the NRL, for the privilege to underspend their grant $ which can't be carried forward anyway? In the same vein how would guys in the playing roster feel if their team spent the bare minimum of 97.5% and $285,000 allocated to the club was left unused?

Here's my potentially tin foil hat theory as to how they've done it.
I suspect they spent the cap when they carried out some of the upgrades by loading on to existing contracts with the players agreeing to reductions for future contracts. Therefore not technically front loading as they are different contracts
For example, here's my hypothetical situation:
Let's say Leka was on an existing 250K per year contract through to the end of 2026 (signed back when he was 17/18).
Then let's say his new contract was going to be worth 850K per year from 2027 to 2029.
But instead of giving him 850K per year for that second contract, both parties agree prior to signing that deal, that they'll reduce it to 650K per year for those 3 years (total reduction of 600K) on the proviso that Leka gets that 600K added to the final 2 years of his existing 2025/2026 contract.
That way we still spend the current years cap, we don't technically front load a contract as they're separate contracts and we have great cap management for those future years.
Plus Leka gets 600K in his pocket sooner than he would have. So it's a win win.
Do that a few times with Laban, Leka, TSS etc to spend the current cap and we've spent the left over money for this year, and set ourselves up with value players for the future.
Hope that makes sense.