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	Sam Healey	✔	✔	✔
14	Edward Kosi	✔
15	Jacob Laban	✔	✔
16	Ali Leiataua	✔
17	Freddy Lussick	✔	✔
18	Zyon Maiu’u	✔	✔
19	Te Maire Martin	✔
20	Luke Metcalf	✔	✔
21	Marcelo Montoya	✔
22	Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	✔
23	Marata Niukore	✔	✔
24	Motu Pasikala	✔	✔	✔
25	Adam Pompey	✔
26	Demitric Sifakula	✔	C
27	Taine Tuaupiki	✔
28	Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	✔	✔
29	Dylan Walker	✔
30	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: 30/30
Confirmed Development 2025: 2/6
Unconfirmed Top 30 2025: 30/30
Unconfirmed Development 2025: 3/6 (Luke Hanson, per Zero Tackle)

Confirmed Top 30 2026: 14/30
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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[Leon Black]

People tend to get hung upon that November 1st thing and tend to get disappointed when there’s not the flurry of signings they were expecting.

Like the EPL transfer window, remember my beloved Liverpool FC one year signing Andy Carroll 11.59 pm before the midnight window shut. He was as good as Kane Evans turned out for us

 

[Wrighty]

If you are a decent player, and probably have demand for your services it would make very little sense to sign a contract as soon as that window is open - unless ofcourse you had been waiting for that team to come knocking and know no team will outmatch that offer. 12 months is a long time and if you are half decent, you would have to be a moron to sign a contract that early.

And btw noone would be reading zerotackle for news. They have become a bit of a joke - one of their headlines in past few days was that "Latrell signs for Broncos". It was Latrell Siegwalt a QLD cup player.

OK don't hold back tell us how you really feel.
100% disagree. The year we were waiting for news on Joey Manu we heard tell tale rumours (we were not getting him) maybe two weeks or so after Nov 1.
I won't defend zero tackle but it recycles its content refresh rate the fastest on the Interweb. (Some license taken with that statement in case you fact check it).

 

[tajhay]

OK don't hold back tell us how you really feel.
100% disagree. The year we were waiting for news on Joey Manu we heard tell tale rumours (we were not getting him) maybe two weeks or so after Nov 1.

Why wouldnt you want to name a decent player who signs a contract around nov 1? That would actually be disagreeing with me.

Zerotackle is an AGGREGATOR who use "editors"/AI to reword articles so they dont get penalised from google and get authorative originality for SEO. Add in clickbait titles. IF you actually want to get latest info, you could do what they do, collect all media RSS feeds (nrluniverse.com does this without modifying content), put that into a RSS feed app and get more content then you have time to read.

If you want just warriors related news/content just follow this for example: https://nrluniverse.com/new-zealand-warriors-news/

Its all via RSS feeds. They even connect to this forums RSS (though that seems to be pre hack so that info they prob need to update lol)

 

[run_it_str8_again]

100%. Cobbo is a guy that will give you a 10/10 one week, but then run for 40m and make 5 errors for the next three.

True. We've got plenty of those blokes

 

[Leon Black]

OK don't hold back tell us how you really feel.
100% disagree. The year we were waiting for news on Joey Manu we heard tell tale rumours (we were not getting him) maybe two weeks or so after Nov 1.
I won't defend zero tackle but it recycles its content refresh rate the fastest on the Interweb. (Some license taken with that statement in case you fact check it).

We locked up Isaac Liu… was that not Zero Tackle? Only thing they are good for are player contracts

 

[Dannevegas]

Mikey Lewis is keen on the nrl apparently for next year. (Young Highly rated half from the super league) I’d be throwing the cheque book at him.

Speed kills and him and metcalf in the halves would be deadly

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

Priority 1 right now should be resigning Ali Leiataua before other clubs can approach him in November.

What’s taking so long? Are there road bumps in the negotiations ?

What’s his value? We’re stuck with 2 centres we’re already paying starter money to (Berry and Pompey). What money do we have to offer him and what’s his worth?

Is Ali seeing a pathway to first grade to want to resign? He will be 22 next year which is getting relatively ancient for a power player and it’s not guaranteed he’s got a starting position locked in.

 

[Ferdie]

What’s taking so long? Are there road bumps in the negotiations ?

What’s his value? We’re stuck with 2 centres we’re already paying starter money to (Berry and Pompey). What money do we have to offer him and what’s his worth?

Is Ali seeing a pathway to first grade to want to resign? He will be 22 next year which is getting relatively ancient for a power player and it’s not guaranteed he’s got a starting position locked in.

I doubt Pompey is on starter money, he extended his contract in July 2023 for the 2025 season, 3 months after RTS was announced as returning, who was supposed to be the new centre.
Ali's progress has been held up a bit due to being injured twice in his first two first grade games and having to have 2x extended periods out injured.
My thoughts are they are possibly planning on giving him Montoya's money (with the plan to shift RTS to the wing), but are just waiting for negotiations with the Tigers to be completed.