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	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	✔	✔
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	Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	✔
22	Marata Niukore	✔	✔
23	Motu Pasikala	✔	✔	✔
24	Adam Pompey	✔
25	Taine Tuaupiki	✔	✔
26	Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	✔	✔
27	Demitric Vaimauga	✔	C
28	Dylan Walker	✔
29	Dallin Watene-Zelezniak	✔	✔	✔
S1	Tanah Boyd	S	S
S2	Kalani Going	S
S3	Tanner Stowers-Smith	S
T1	Jett Cleary	T	S	S

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

Confirmed Top 30 2025: 29/30
Confirmed Development 2025: 3/6
Unconfirmed Top 30 2025: 29/30
Unconfirmed Development 2025: 4/6 (Luke Hanson, per Zero Tackle)

Confirmed Top 30 2026: 20/30
Confirmed Development 2026: 2/6

2026 Gains: Nil
2026 Losses: Nil

Off Contract: Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale, Tohu Harris, Edward Kosi, Te Maire Martin, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Adam Pompey, Dylan Walker, Kalani Going (S), Tanner Stowers-Smith (S), Demitric Vaimauga (C)

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[Inruin]

Yeah that’s right his old body is probably tight tired and inflexible and he just can’t get up quickly like JFH
Need an ex player like John Nick to tell us how it is at Tohu s age

Add in a wrist injury that was so bad it needed surgery to fix, and the added strain that puts on other areas of the body when doing things like trying to get up off the ground

 

[Wellington Warrior]

Watching the Harbour v Canterbury game. Stephenson is very meh… but fuck me Moses Leo is something else!!! Storm got a ripper there!!

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Paid close attention to JFH last night. His attitude and effort on defence is something I don’t know that anyone in our team has.
No laying down, slowly getting up after a tackle being late back into the line leaving a hole. He sprints back into the line and this happens at the start of his stint and the end.

I love Tohu but it really pissed me off at times how often he would slowly get off the ground and slowly get back into the line. Tohu wasn’t the only one to do it but he really stood out for it.

JFH is going to bring new standards

As the #1 Tohu criticiser, I do believe he's mentally willing, just not physically capable. I think where we disagree is wether he'll find it again.

 

[run_it_str8_again]

As the #1 Tohu criticiser, I do believe he's mentally willing, just not physically capable. I think where we disagree is wether he'll find it again.

Teach him Pilates

 

[~Navigator~]

Anyone watch the nswrl final and see what healey did

 

[Tohu’s_Knees]

I’ve written this before and I’ll write it again.

Although no one can doubt his quality. He is certainly amongst the elite Props of the game. But no doubt he also benefits from a superior system. I am talking of course, about James Fisher-Harris.

When members suggest “He’ll sort out the locker room” or something similar……
What does that actually mean?

Yes, obviously his success is undeniable. In that superior system…….
What can he actually teach the young guys, that other successful players (Tohu, RTS, Capewell) from other successful systems. (Storm, Roosters, Penrith and Broncos) cannot?

How is it that his on field example can inspire. Where Barnett and AFBs cannot?

As I’ve written in the past. JFH and AFB are two very different players.
The way Webster uses his starting middles. Joesph Tapine would seem to me as more like for like with AFB. He’s who I dreamed of getting when AFB said he was leaving. I’d still take Tapine over JFH right now.

JFH has been playing long seasons for a long time now. Will he cope with a similar workload as Webster gave AFB? I fucking hope so…….

I’ll be very interested how JFH and Barnett are going at about round 20ish. Barnett was clearly declining near the end of the season. And now him and JFH will (potentially) be playing into November.
I fear burnout……….

Regardless, I am very happy we signed JFH.

 

[Noitall]

Stuff

www.stuff.co.nz

NRL interest in Wallace Sititi apparently. Hope Warriors are one, really impressed with this guy

 

[Damo]

Stuff

www.stuff.co.nz

NRL interest in Wallace Sititi apparently. Hope Warriors are one, really impressed with this guy

Dreaming. NZRU won't let him go.

 

[CWC]

JFH is the pack leader of a 3-time premiership winner in a row, possibly 4 by next week, none of other players have that aura, and it will increase youngsters’ attention and willingness to focus and listen/learn, definitely superior to guys who can’t nail down his centre spot, or playing more than 30min with a broken body, or a leader whose wife disrespects the club openly in public. Also JFH seems to be big on Maori mana, Capewell innately can’t inspire maori/polynesian boys that way

Also captaining a Kiwi team belting Australia 30:0 in an “inferior” system

Leo Thompson is a living testimony of JFH’s “dressing room” effect

JFH knows what it looks like to win consecutive premierships, he can call things out in the trenches when he sees it (Might be similar to Webby when he first arrived, at least new sparks, sustaining it is another thing, or if he decides to blend in or not bother then it won’t help, but look at the instant onfield influence Crighton brought to the Dogs, he’s another leader, instead of say Kikau, Burton, Papalii etc)

I think Stacy or someone admitted to off field issues this year, still want to know if that’s what most have been speculating or something else

Using cricket analogy, Shane Bond the legendary paceman of NZ was the bowling coach in the 2015 world cup, we had 1 of the best pace squad in NZ history and everyone was bowling quicker and better than before, their testimonies - they listen to Bond, they’ve seen what he did as kids/teens (7/23 vs peak Australia or destroying them to 87:7 in the world cup playoff round).

 

[Noitall]

Dreaming. NZRU won't let him go.

Yeah he’s surely viewed highly in their future plans. We’ve got some good second rowers coming through anyway. You reckon that would be his ideal position?

 

[CWC]

Stuff

www.stuff.co.nz

NRL interest in Wallace Sititi apparently. Hope Warriors are one, really impressed with this guy

Razor joked he’s signed for 10 years, unfortunately that would be the case soon, he’s locked down that No.6 and looks to be a hall of famer when he retires, IMHO NZRU can pay better packages for guys like him

 

[Noitall]

As mentioned on the nsw cup thread, Niwhai Puru player of the game for the victorious jets. The Warrior Waka I can recall you saying that the Puru twins were your wife’s nephews? Any idea what’s going on with them, seem too good to have no club to go to after sharks letting Niwhai go and Hohepa having a mutual option at the raiders not picked up yet?

 

[CWC]

Hm 22 year old kiwi halfback final’s man of match unsigned? Would be worth a gamble for a halfback back up at the right price

 

[Noitall]

Hm 22 year old kiwi halfback final’s man of match unsigned? Would be worth a gamble for a halfback back up at the right price

Jets connection too with the incoming Healey

 

[tajhay]

Hm 22 year old kiwi halfback final’s man of match unsigned? Would be worth a gamble for a halfback back up at the right price

Seems to have been top 30 for sharks this year. Doubt sharks have room for him in 2025.

 

[Dannevegas]

With the squad we have atm I can’t see us making the 8 next year.
I think we still need a fullback, one more prop and a half.

I’d be chasing,
-Kade Dykes, Kid from Cronulla very similar to metcalf.
-Joseph O’Neill, good prospect from the dogs( would really like Mikey Lewis tho)
- Tof Sipley. Think we need a big tall prop who can bend the line, Fish and Mitch are 2 very similar players but are more on the work horse side.
Also really like his attitude, high energy type bloke. and if he’s not in grade would be awesome for cup leading the young boys

 

[Dannevegas]

K. Dykes
R. Tuivasa-scheck
A. Leiataua
R. Berry
D. Watene-zelezniak
Harris-Tavita
Metcalf
Ale
Egan
Fisher-Harris
Capewell
Niukore
Barnett

Healey
Sifakula
Sipley
Clark

 

[SJ2k]

With the squad we have atm I can’t see us making the 8 next year.
I think we still need a fullback, one more prop and a half.

I’d be chasing,
-Kade Dykes, Kid from Cronulla very similar to metcalf.
-Joseph O’Neill, good prospect from the dogs( would really like Mikey Lewis tho)
- Tof Sipley. Think we need a big tall prop who can bend the line, Fish and Mitch are 2 very similar players but are more on the work horse side.
Also really like his attitude, high energy type bloke. and if he’s not in grade would be awesome for cup leading the young boys

Whether or not we can make the 8 comes down to the halves, we almost made it this year with busted half play. So many games lost by a try or less.

If we go into next season with the current 3 halves, write it off tbh. A decent journeyman that can kick the ball properly and we will scrape in.

We're going to miss AFB in a big way, JFH can't fill that gap but like 2 players in the entire NRL could. However, our young forwards are another critical year old. Still too young, but each year will make a big difference. Sifakula alone will fill a huge gap that required AFB to play such monster minutes.

 

[Inruin]

Whether or not we can make the 8 comes down to the halves, we almost made it this year with busted half play. So many games lost by a try or less.

If we go into next season with the current 3 halves, write it off tbh. A decent journeyman that can kick the ball properly and we will scrape in.

We're going to miss AFB in a big way, JFH can't fill that gap but like 2 players in the entire NRL could. However, our young forwards are another critical year old. Still too young, but each year will make a big difference. Sifakula alone will fill a huge gap that required AFB to play such monster minutes.

But we don't have SJ stinking it up this year. And do you think our defence won't improve with JFH and a less busted Tohu?

 

[SJ2k]

But we don't have SJ stinking it up this year. And do you think our defence won't improve with JFH and a less busted Tohu?

One of Metcalf and TMM are going to get hurt in the first 8 games, almost guaranteed. We'll be playing a non half in our halves approx 30% of the time if it's these three. Busted SJ is better than playing CNK or Walker at 6, which we still had to do even with four halves.

Our defence better fucking improve after how shit it was.