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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[Noitall]

It’s where he’ll get most run next year.

Same as in 2024 in NSW cup. There was an opportunity to play centre through injuries etc and he took it. Now he’s back in second row.

It’s just what’s gonna get him first grade appearances most quickly.

Once he’s in the door then who knows. He could switch back to second row.

It’s possible that he’s seen as a Morgan Harper replacement next year and then a Marata Niukore replacement the year after that (at which point we have another outside back to come through like Putoko, Vake or Norris)

Seems like there’s a couple of opportunities in the centres next year with Harper as you mentioned likely won’t be here and Setu Tu playing centre too in recent times? Moimoi off contract too and has played second row in recent times in nsw cup

 

[Cces]

We all know about Top 30 guys being available to negotiate with other club as of 1 year out from their current deal ending but for Development players like Fatialofa it's from Round 6 onwards so the door was certainly ajar for the last few months for another club to poach him.
I just hope we see him actually play Centre some time soon. 29 Cup games & only 1 in the position

 

[Warriorsfan92]

How do Penrith even get a look in.

Its not uncommon for players to test the market so they know how much they are worth and can go back to their club with a dollar figure but the fact that he actually signed the Penrith contract is very concerning.

McFadden needs to sort his shit out asap.

Wonder if McFadden being asleep at the wheel let Dolphins swoop in and get Lucian from under our noses.

Kayliss has a good shot at being a first choice center by end of next year. Berry can't stay fit / Ali also cant stay fit and isn't really improving atm / Pompey is in cruise control again

So I had early good intel on this. Lucian and his brother player Harold matts. Lucian was the star & his brother ended up not making the 17 towards the end of the year.

The warriors offered Lucian a deal, but not Deangelo. The phins offered a package deal, which was the trump card in the end

 

[CWC]

So I had early good intel on this. Lucian and his brother player Harold matts. Lucian was the star & his brother ended up not making the 17 towards the end of the year.

The warriors offered Lucian a deal, but not Deangelo. The phins offered a package deal, which was the trump card in the end

Hmmmm......good we stood on principle but spending a few extra dollars not hurting our cap at all might have been worth it, but then would his bro take a spot from another future star?

 

[Kav1]

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

Also Casey Mclean - younger than Jenkins and a kiwi rep but I can't see Penrith letting either of them go. Still, that was also said about Crighton and Luai and quite a few others.

 

[Five&Last]

So I had early good intel on this. Lucian and his brother player Harold matts. Lucian was the star & his brother ended up not making the 17 towards the end of the year.

The warriors offered Lucian a deal, but not Deangelo. The phins offered a package deal, which was the trump card in the end

Yeah we talked about this aspect a couple days ago on this thread

There’s definitely top 30 guarantees in the contract given the length of it.

So if his brother got an identical deal, then it’s hard to compete with that. We have too much talent coming in to guarantee development spots (let alone top 30 spots) to someone who couldn’t even crack the Harold Matts 17 man team

The Dolphins are establishing a bit of a relationship with St Kents now, poached Tevita Naufahu from there who was hot property. And now Lucian. Something to keep tabs on

 

[Cces]

Is Jesse McLean fast? Doesn't have much of a try scoring record depite being a Winger but coming to Auckland might be a better option that trying to compete with your younger brother for a spot