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: 27/30
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
Can negotiate with other clubs from Nov 1, 2025 (Entering final year) : Rocco Berry, Tanah Boyd, Kurt Capewell, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Freddy Lussick, Te Maire Martin, Luke Metcalf, Marata Niukore, Taine Tuaupiki, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck

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[Naynay]

Almost lost him.
So now get the wheels in motion to make him feel wanted.
Question...... Why was he even looking at leaving.

Bit of a log jam with 2nd rowers, Halasima and Laban seem to be the favourites going forward so would expect them to get the starting roles.

Then EIT has been chosen on the bench now. Might have been told if he can get a start they would let him go

 

[Dannevegas]

Almost lost him.
So now get the wheels in motion to make him feel wanted.
Question...... Why was he even looking at leaving.

Agree, how did we even get to that point. We obviously low balled him initially. Would’ve been a real bad move letting him go as I think he’ll be our long term centre and a gun one

 

[snake77]

Getting Fatialofa to backflip on Penrith is good vote of confidence in the club.

Penrith their success the last few years would be attractive for any young player. All of their systems at the moment are on point and they have one of the best players in the game guiding them around the field.

As their development systems are working they also are pretty targeted in their recruitment.

 

[Noitall]

Getting Fatialofa to backflip on Penrith is good vote of confidence in the club.

Penrith their success the last few years would be attractive for any young player. All of their systems at the moment are on point and they have one of the best players in the game guiding them around the field.

As their development systems are working they also are pretty targeted in their recruitment.

Hearing that David Tangata Toa feeds Webster with information of players that are close to first grade from nsw cup, I think you can read that from the extended team picked each week and Fatialofa has been amongst those for weeks now. EIT was 18th man for weeks before he debuted

 

[snake77]

Afoa moving on isn't unexpected. We need spots in the top 30 to promote guys who are ready or recruit.

He has been a good clubman. I was at one of the NSW Cup games. He was there watching the team. First grade players being their isn't unusual. But the first grade side had played in Australia earlier that weekend. It was one of the games he played this year. I thought it was pretty impressive he was there so soon after getting back to NZ.

 

[Cces]

Trying to peice together this timeline. 15 days ago Cameron George said we had 28/29 spots filled for 2026 and then settled on 29. Did Fatialofa sign then renege with Penrith after that interview?

 

[Tookey 2.0]

We could do a lot worse than Thomas Jenkins as a winger with the ability to fill in at centre.

He's another guy who is effort on effort, and seems to compete for everything. A real Webby kinda player imo. Decent pace and fairly elusive, and is only 24.
Contracted to the end of nek year, I hope we're considering him

 

[Noitall]

We could do a lot worse than Thomas Jenkins as a winger with the ability to fill in at centre.

He's another guy who is effort on effort, and seems to compete for everything. A real Webby kinda player imo. Decent pace and fairly elusive, and is only 24.
Contracted to the end of nek year, I hope we're considering him

Crazy that he went to knights and couldn’t get a look in

 

[WHB]

We let Selestino Ravutaumada go way too early. He turned into a gun union player

King was still on the rise.
Been going well in ESL.
Naholo would be a go.
Big body,goes looking for work.
Great finisher.
The Naki dont need him.

 

[Tookey 2.0]

Crazy that he went to knights and couldn’t get a look in

We lose Rog at the end of nek year, Dallin the year after and Kosi this year, on top of our all ready thin wing stocks and injury prone centres. I reckon he'd find his way into the team most weeks from 2027

 

[3rdstriker]

View attachment 14148

Well done, McFadden needed to keep him locked up for sure.