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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[Inruin]

Feel like it’s coming along though. David Tangata Toa was surely part of this process back at the panthers before he came over here and Andrew Auimatagi seems to be having success. We’re accumulating a good bunch

yes, the pathways definitely seem to be improving. We have been on the back foot a fair bit after being based in Australia and the COVID years.

The tap has now been turned on, it will just take a little while to fill the pool.

I think that, as long as the club and fans are patient, we will be in a great position in 3-5 years. That's predominantly where the club has fallen down in the past, wanting immediate success and making rash changes when it doesn't happen, usually to the coaching staff.

 

[FormerlyJamesW]

The tap has now been turned on, it will just take a little while to fill the pool.

This is the best take, for me.

I think people under estimate just how bad Covid screwed us. The lockdown policies are a separate conversation, but the results were that our country literally ground to a halt for a significant period of time.

 

[CWC]

Would be interested to see how the hype goes next year, the team's success might correlate with schoolboy interest in joining the production line

Awfully quiet about the Christchurch team since the pre-season

It's just crazy watching ABs and Wallabies played last week and the backline moves are just the same with players in motion and the No.8 moving the ball wide to the No.10, except league decoys are faster than union props

 

[watcher]

Sean O'Sullivan

Would we turn him down?

 

[Completion Rate]

Yup that's why we need a back up halfback if plan A fails when they go down as usual, Metcalf played about 15 games across 2 years and TMM about half over the same period.

The injury toll is probably contributed by Webby playing 2 backs on the bench, busting injured senior players till they tear a muscle and giving 5min to the 4th bench player to relieve...busted players.

And I reckon they need to work out a plan to cheat the HIA subs when you're losing 2-3 backs in one game

I think their backup plan is throwing one of the young halves they have on development contracts into the deep end. Hanson most likely first then Cleary.
It's not a bad idea to keep those spots free for young halves and just gamble on them as they come through. That way you keep the contact value low on any young superstar that emerges and you cycle through cohorts of players more efficiently so that the cream rises that you then lock up.
It also benefits the roster makeup in having more space for depth in key positions that need extended development in cup (FRF, SRF, CTR)

They ain't looking for a superstar signing. The window has closed. We're in the development cycle properly now. Team culture and roster building is the focus now.