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	Wayde Egan	✔	✔	✔
9	James Fisher-Harris	✔	✔	✔	✔
10	Jackson Ford	✔	✔	✔
11	Leka Halasima	✔	✔	✔
	Morgan Harper	✔
12	Chanel Harris-Tavita	✔	✔
13	Sam Healey	✔	✔	✔
14	Edward Kosi	✔
15	Jacob Laban	✔	✔
16	Ali Leiataua	✔	✔	✔
17	Freddy Lussick	✔	✔
18	Te Maire Martin	✔
19	Luke Metcalf	✔	✔
20	Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	✔
21	Marata Niukore	✔	✔
22	Adam Pompey	✔	✔	✔
23	Tanner Stowers-Smith	✔
24	Taine Tuaupiki	✔	✔
25	Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	✔	✔
26	Demitric Vaimauga	✔	✔	✔	✔
27	Dylan Walker	✔
28	Dallin Watene-Zelezniak	✔	✔	✔
S1	Kayliss Faitialofa	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
-	Jett Cleary	T	S	S
-	Motu Pasikala	T	✔	✔

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

Confirmed Top 30 2025: 29/30
Confirmed Supplementary 2025: 6/6

Confirmed Top 30 2026: 21/30
Confirmed Supplementary 2026: 1/6

2026 Gains: Nil
2026 Losses: Nil

Off Contract: Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale, Morgan Harper, Edward Kosi, Te Maire Martin, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Tanner Stowers-Smith, Dylan Walker

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[1995 Sufra!]

I’m with ya mate
What we got is better than nothing
Unless some young guns coming up
Get a bit concerned when I see Caldwell in the centres tho!
To me that’s what trials are for chuck them in
I changed my mind about Pompey we could do worse
And he kicks goals
Kosi nah too slow looks nervy all the time

 

[Dippa]

View: https://www.instagram.com/p/DGcivcQydtU/?igsh=Ync4NmZ3YzU3MDB1

 

[MurrayTD]

Geez it really is hard to take how often we miss out on players! It feels like such a battle to even sign a 2nd/3rd tier option, it becomes soul destroying.
The last 100 pages and we haven’t signed dick! Tanah Boyd is it..
Yet other clubs seem to sign endless first tier options and no one bats an eyelid, the system is crooked and seriously starting become depressing.
Always loyal, just want an even playing field for our team, admin, supporters.

 

[1995 Sufra!]

If we keep finishing out of the top8 every year
We will never attract decent players
Aussie’s moving country
Crap Auckland winters
Why bother!
Cuddles Webster got to build the team from within
Just like Penrith have done
Yep it’s frustrating
Defence doesnt win this comp
Attack and backing up players does
Go figure
Up the Wahs
Stay loyal if u can

 

[afakasi247]

Geez it really is hard to take how often we miss out on players! It feels like such a battle to even sign a 2nd/3rd tier option, it becomes soul destroying.
The last 100 pages and we haven’t signed dick! Tanah Boyd is it..
Yet other clubs seem to sign endless first tier options and no one bats an eyelid, the system is crooked and seriously starting become depressing.
Always loyal, just want an even playing field for our team, admin, supporters.

Easier to move down the road than it is to move to our shit hole of a country

 

[AlwaysOptmistic]

Easier to move down the road than it is to move to our shit hole of a country

Plus when you join the warriors you sign up to 60k km per year travel, 8 hours minimum plus transit times per away game, whereas play in Sydney and Queensland and you often stay home largely for weeks. Must be another factor

 

[run_it_str8_again]

Geez it really is hard to take how often we miss out on players! It feels like such a battle to even sign a 2nd/3rd tier option, it becomes soul destroying.
The last 100 pages and we haven’t signed dick! Tanah Boyd is it..
Yet other clubs seem to sign endless first tier options and no one bats an eyelid, the system is crooked and seriously starting become depressing.
Always loyal, just want an even playing field for our team, admin, supporters.

That is why the development pathways are so important. We simply have to rely on growing our own tier 1 players.

Leiataua, Halasima, Vaimauga are our current highest trajectory guys.

So if we get more successful through development, perhaps that will attract better outsiders. But this year, Fisher Harris is our big signing.

 

[Zaggo]

I hope we continue to land and retain guys with talent who need a shot like Barnett and Egan. They were fairly humdrum at the time but have come up big.

I think that's where the focus needs to be, in addition to the odd homesick Kiwi. Realistically we're not recruiting some 24 year old Origin mega star in their prime.

Failing that, there's always some other fringe All Black we can speculate over converting for another 50 pages.

 

[Noitall]

Brown and out​

They once tabled Dylan Brown a contract that would have made him the richest man yet to play in the NRL, but the Warriors have decided not to have another crack at the Parramatta star.
Brown has until round 10 to decide whether to stay or leave Parramatta via a controversial contract clause. The Kiwi international’s management is seeking expressions of interest for his services, with Newcastle contemplating whether to blow the blue and golds out of the water with a long and lucrative offer.

Parramatta’s Dylan Brown on the attack against Newcastle. The Warriors have ruled out an offer for the Kiwi international.Credit:Getty Images
Brown was born in Auckland and the retirement of Shaun Johnson has prompted speculation the Warriors could again be in the mix for his services. However, the trans-Tasman outfit has opted not to get involved in a bidding war.
“With all due respect to Dylan, our club is really excited about Luke Metcalf and Chanel [Harris-Tavita],” Warriors chief executive Cameron George said.
“We’ve got Tanah Boyd and we’ve got Te Maire Martin all shooting for the halves, and we’ve got some good young kids sitting in behind them.
“We’ve never looked any further than those guys and that’s where we sit. From a Warriors perspective, we’re definitely not in either discussions or negotiations with Dylan Brown or his management.”

In 2019, the Warriors tabled Brown a long-term deal worth almost $3 million. It was a mammoth amount for a teenager who had at that stage not even played a single NRL game. On that occasion, the Warriors subsequently found out Brown had already committed to Parramatta, so neither party was able to follow through with the offer.
“I remember back in the day when ‘Sully’ [former recruiter Peter O’Sullivan] and Brian Smith were here, they spotted Dylan playing [junior football] – he was of interest back in about 2019,” George said.
“That’s certainly not the case now. No disrespect to Dylan, but we’re backing who we’ve got and what lies ahead with those kids.”
The Eels have been heavily criticised for allowing player options in contracts – Mitchell Moses and Will Penisini have them in their deals – and have vowed to cease the practice

 

[Ever Hopeful]

We are in desperate need of one or two truly quality signings, and it concerning that these don't look overly likely at the moment. Yet despite that, I feel pretty relieved we aren't tying our cap up in Dylan Brown.

 

[Noitall]

We are in desperate need of one or two truly quality signings, and it concerning that these don't look overly likely at the moment. Yet despite that, I feel pretty relieved we aren't tying our cap up in Dylan Brown.

Wonder where we see in the squad that there’s a place for recruitment? There’s some money in the cap and do we recruit or use it to upgrade young guys? Seem to be content with our halves, is fullback a position we could target for recruitment? Hazelton was a target, but seems like he’ll stay put? Are we looking for that particular shape? Could Leniu who wants out of roosters be an option for an impact prop or too unpredictable?

 

[Ramps]

Wonder where we see in the squad that there’s a place for recruitment? There’s some money in the cap and do we recruit or use it to upgrade young guys? Seem to be content with our halves, is fullback a position we could target for recruitment? Hazelton was a target, but seems like he’ll stay put? Are we looking for that particular shape? Could Leniu who wants out of roosters be an option for an impact prop or too unpredictable?

Never really thought Leniu was all that great, other than being a big impact player off the bench. dont get me wrong, would be great to have Leniu, Fish and Barnett as our enforcers but thats too much cap on the forwards and he's a penalty magnet. If we could get him at around 400k then yes but highly doubt we could get him that cheap. He's far too hyped up. We have enough with our young guns coming through.

 

[Noitall]

Never really thought Leniu was all that great, other than being a big impact player off the bench. dont get me wrong, would be great to have Leniu, Fish and Barnett as our enforcers but thats too much cap on the forwards and he's a penalty magnet. If we could get him at around 400k then yes but highly doubt we could get him that cheap. He's far too hyped up.

Yeah I’m not a fan either. Hazelton showed that we’re probably looking for a forward at around $500k with it becoming evident he is a target, likely another front rower?

 

[Tookey 2.0]

Brown and out
With all due respect to Dylan, our club is really excited about Luke Metcalf and Chanel [Harris-Tavita],” Warriors chief executive Cameron George said.
“We’ve got Tanah Boyd and we’ve got Te Maire Martin all shooting for the halves, and we’ve got some good young kids sitting in behind them.

Has Cameron George spoiled TLT and let us know who they're picking in the halves early?

Imo a strange thing to say if CHT isn't seen as a starting half

 

[nzwarriorsfaithful]

Brown and out​

They once tabled Dylan Brown a contract that would have made him the richest man yet to play in the NRL, but the Warriors have decided not to have another crack at the Parramatta star.
Brown has until round 10 to decide whether to stay or leave Parramatta via a controversial contract clause. The Kiwi international’s management is seeking expressions of interest for his services, with Newcastle contemplating whether to blow the blue and golds out of the water with a long and lucrative offer.

Parramatta’s Dylan Brown on the attack against Newcastle. The Warriors have ruled out an offer for the Kiwi international.Credit:Getty Images
Brown was born in Auckland and the retirement of Shaun Johnson has prompted speculation the Warriors could again be in the mix for his services. However, the trans-Tasman outfit has opted not to get involved in a bidding war.
“With all due respect to Dylan, our club is really excited about Luke Metcalf and Chanel [Harris-Tavita],” Warriors chief executive Cameron George said.
“We’ve got Tanah Boyd and we’ve got Te Maire Martin all shooting for the halves, and we’ve got some good young kids sitting in behind them.
“We’ve never looked any further than those guys and that’s where we sit. From a Warriors perspective, we’re definitely not in either discussions or negotiations with Dylan Brown or his management.”

In 2019, the Warriors tabled Brown a long-term deal worth almost $3 million. It was a mammoth amount for a teenager who had at that stage not even played a single NRL game. On that occasion, the Warriors subsequently found out Brown had already committed to Parramatta, so neither party was able to follow through with the offer.
“I remember back in the day when ‘Sully’ [former recruiter Peter O’Sullivan] and Brian Smith were here, they spotted Dylan playing [junior football] – he was of interest back in about 2019,” George said.
“That’s certainly not the case now. No disrespect to Dylan, but we’re backing who we’ve got and what lies ahead with those kids.”
The Eels have been heavily criticised for allowing player options in contracts – Mitchell Moses and Will Penisini have them in their deals – and have vowed to cease the practice

He is lying. He just doesn’t want the media attention. He’s not going to come out and say yes we want him.

 

[Ramps]

Yeah I’m not a fan either. Hazelton showed that we’re probably looking for a forward at around $500k with it becoming evident he is a target, likely another front rower?

I think recruitment wise. The only way were going to move the needle from being a top 8 contender to premiership contender is a game breaking outside back and a gun half (Not sold on Metcalf although he goes alright). I would be all in on Jerome Hughes despite his age and a good outside back with the remaining funds. I'm pretty content with our forwards. We have a good mixture of youth and experience in the forwards. just need a game breaker which i don't see us having in the backs. It was clear last year that we lacked speed and creativity in attack.

 

[1995 Sufra!]

Cameron George was be watching a different Harris Tavita to me
Sure he has some big D moments
But on attack nah bruv
When Tavita was on open market couple years ago
There were no takers
That tells ya

 

[Akkerz]

tbh Cameron George & Cuddles need a wake up call. I 'm fully supporive of our team but they are not going to get the Club a premiership. However they do keep bums on seats & that seems to be all the hierarchy is interested in. After 30 yrs it's all getting a little bit jaded..
Up the Wahs

 

[Hitro]

Hope this isn't Tom Ale?

Knights secure mystery forward amidst roster overhaul

His arrival follows the exit of Daniel Saifiti, Leo Thompson and Sebastian Su’a.

www.zerotackle.com

 

[Fufu]

Hope this isn't Tom Ale?

Knights secure mystery forward amidst roster overhaul

His arrival follows the exit of Daniel Saifiti, Leo Thompson and Sebastian Su’a.

www.zerotackle.com

KNIGHTS SIGN COWBOYS GUN​

Newcastle have taken the first step to replacing Leo Thompson by signing North Queensland young gun Will Sullivan.

Sullivan is a graduate of the Cowboys’ Young Guns program and played a handful of games last year with their Queensland Cup side.

He is on a development deal at the Cowboys this season and it is understood he has agreed terms to join the Knights next year as they look to strengthen their pack following the loss of Thompson.

The Knights are yet to agree deals with a handful of their current forwards. Adam Elliott, Jack Hetherington, Kai Pearce-Paul and Jayden Brailey could all be on the move at the end of the year.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...ws-story/f63b26d33f1ec900af4e67e17467a61b?amp

Not Ale, but is there chat of Ale being let go or on the move?