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	Taine Tuaupiki	✔
27	Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	✔	✔
28	Demitric Vaimauga	✔	C
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 Vaimauga (C)

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[Canadian_Warriors_Fan]

If the Panthers take it out this year expect Cleary to sign with us for 2026.

Is that just your opinion or based on a source?

 

[The Warrior Waka]

Is that just your opinion or based on a source?

Based on a hunch aka I'm dreaming

 

[MrFrankWhite]

He’s been one of the best edges in the comp for years.

Cool. Why not try and have one of the best edges for the next few years? Instead of the guy who WAS great. Just another Katoa situation IMHO.

Letting go of guys who WILL be great, for someone who WAS great.

 

[Canonball]

You've got to think that there will be another halves option somewhere in the mix for 2025 cos at the moment we're short even by numbers - TMM, LM and CHT (maybe... remember that he was earmarked for a shift to lock...) is not a sustainable set of halves for a whole season. An addition can come via 1. recruitment 2. development or 3. an in squad positional shift. I would suggest that the most immediately likely for next year has to be 1. ... and that will require a couple of current squad members shifting on immediate deals ... Montoya, and Bunty have been discussed, but perhaps Ford is in line too (or Kosi?)... if Monts goes to the Tigers, who could we get back, or could there be a swaps deal with another club involved?

This all seems too hard for an immediate meaningful gain, as we'd need a first grade ready half essentially unwanted by another club (can think of only one possibly in this category: Hastings... and yeah, that wouldn't be great would it?)

Personally I like the option of trying something like shifting Tauapiki to the halves, but you'd have to worry about his front line defense a la Ponga ... you'd really have to commit to the bit

 

[Cces]

Obviously dollars & cents are the deciding factor on whether or not to sign Nikora but I don't get why people bag him. Barnett & AFB were our only regular offloaders in 2024 & with AFB leaving if Nikora could replicate this years 25 offloads & 10 tries it would be a godsend. The fact he always plays 80 mins on the right edge alone has me sold. Capewell on the left, with Halasima increasingly taking his minutes, & Niukore a specialist middle would undoubtedly strengthen our side.

 

[WahsaurusRex]

If we got Nikora on a four-year deal, he would still be younger than Capewell is today by the end of it. Even with Capewell's age, if not for how his first half of the year panned out, he would have been the third-best player this year behind Barney and AFB. As is, he is there or thereabouts. so it's not like we are bringing in a geriatric to block spots the younger guys could take

I don't get the idea that getting him would be goodbye to Leka and/or Laban. Look at Penrith. They have Papali'i coming in even though they already have Martin, Sorensen, and Garner, with Geyer and Hassett waiting in the wings.

You run with Leka or Laban, starting with Nikora, while the other regularly plays on the bench and gets occasional starts. If whichever one is on the bench gets impatient and leaves, part of being a so-called "development club" means not being afraid to have them leave and replacing them with the next young guy, be that Eddie Iremia or someone else.

Again looking at the Panthers, they got let Mansour go to get Staines in, Staines left, so they brought in Turuva, Turuva is leaving so they will bring through one of the McLean brothers. Not to mention letting go of Jenkins, May and whoever else in that time as well.

 

[juju]

Even the possibility of Briton Nikora signing would need to be handled pretty delicately as not to potentially lose Leka or Laban.
Both juniors who seems to have the real desire to rep the club.

If I was the agent of either I would want some concrete idea Capewell won't be extended beyond his current contract & Marata was moving to the middle full time.
Whether or not the club can provide that - who knows.

Torn

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Obviously dollars & cents are the deciding factor on whether or not to sign Nikora but I don't get why people bag him.

No one is bagging him. Bagging cap space and our roster. Release Marata and or Walker, retire Tohu and lets chat.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Again looking at the Panthers, they got let Mansour go to get Staines in, Staines left, so they brought in Turuva, Turuva is leaving so they will bring through one of the McLean brothers. Not to mention letting go of Jenkins, May and whoever else in that time as well.

Huh? By this logic, we should be letting our starters go, to bring up juniors. Not letting juniors go to bring in starters.

 

[WahsaurusRex]

Huh? By this logic, we should be letting our starters go, to bring up juniors. Not letting juniors go to bring in starters.

I get what you are saying, but see the first Panthers comparison in the post. Even though they have good depth, and some really promising youngsters right behind them, it hasn't stopped them from getting a rep player like Papali'i.

The second Panthers example is to say if young guy wants to jump to ship for more minutes/$, you've sometimes got to just let them and trust the next young guy.

I'll add though, you have got to keep the ones you want to keep (re: To'o, Edwards, Martin). Leka having a NRL contract year lined up when he was 17, and then getting an upgrade and extension a couple days after his debut, he is firmly in that category

Not saying fuck Laban, I want us to try and keep him, but if he is not satisfied being the third-string edge behind one of the best second rowers in the game, and our promising junior, then we have guys lined up through the grades that will be pushing to take that spot

 

[Warriorsfan92]

Even the possibility of Briton Nikora signing would need to be handled pretty delicately as not to potentially lose Leka or Laban.
Both juniors who seems to have the real desire to rep the club.

If I was the agent of either I would want some concrete idea Capewell won't be extended beyond his current contract & Marata was moving to the middle full time.
Whether or not the club can provide that - who knows.

Torn

Laben still a few years away imo, and leka is still raw. Unsure if he can handle the rigours of nrl weekly. Who better to learn from than the best kiwi edge in the nrl? This is an absolute no brainer

 

[Billyspleen75]

2026 might be a little bit of a logjam but this is what we would have at the start of 2027. Ages at start of the 27 season.

8 JFH 31
9 Egan 29
10 Sifakula 23
11 Nikora 29
12 Halasima 21
13 Barnett 32

14 Healey 24
15 Clark 29
16 Zyon Maiu’u 23
17 Laban 22

 

[Blain]

Would only take Nikora for a straight swap for Capewell, but I think Kurt showed the last couple of months he has way more in the tank. Halamasia is the future and needs to be developed, I don't want anyone getting in his way.

Harris will likely retire after next season and free up cash, hopefully that will go towards a top line spine player and not another pack member. Time to back our talent surely?

 

[Tookey 2.0]

2026 might be a little bit of a logjam but this is what we would have at the start of 2027. Ages at start of the 27 season.

8 JFH 31
9 Egan 29
10 Sifakula 23
11 Nikora 29
12 Halasima 21
13 Barnett 32

14 Healey 24
15 Clark 29
16 Zyon Maiu’u 23
17 Laban 22

Yeah mate, couldn't agree more.
We've essentially got:
Tohu
Walker
Ford
Capewell
Probably Niukore too, who will likely all be gone by the end of 2026.

I think between then and now, we need to get Halasima, Sifakula and Laban 25-40 games each from here (out of a possibly 48+ finals games) so that they're all raring to go as week in/week out first graders.

For me, that's a shiiiiit load of money leaving in the next 2 years (close to 3 mill) and while we will likely replace a few and upgrade the young guys, there has to be a few mill in the kite to get a top flight half or fullback, surely!

 

[france]

i'd take Nikora

 

[france]

Even the possibility of Briton Nikora signing would need to be handled pretty delicately as not to potentially lose Leka or Laban.
Both juniors who seems to have the real desire to rep the club.

If I was the agent of either I would want some concrete idea Capewell won't be extended beyond his current contract & Marata was moving to the middle full time.
Whether or not the club can provide that - who knows.

Torn

my thoughts exactly

 

[John Nick]

my thoughts exactly

Just goes to show that signing someone is not always as easy as it sounds.

 

[cock_o]

Where has the Briton Nikora signing rumours come from?

 

[Warriorsfan92]

Where has the Briton Nikora signing rumours come from?

Nowhere, I’m guessing

 

[CWC]

Where has the Briton Nikora signing rumours come from?

The guy who told us Monty is getting released?