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	✔	✔	✔
12	Morgan Harper	✔
13	Chanel Harris-Tavita	✔	✔
14	Sam Healey	✔	✔	✔
15	Edward Kosi	✔
16	Jacob Laban	✔	✔
17	Ali Leiataua	✔	✔	✔
18	Freddy Lussick	✔	✔
19	Te Maire Martin	✔
20	Luke Metcalf	✔	✔
21	Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	✔
22	Marata Niukore	✔	✔
23	Adam Pompey	✔	✔	✔
24	Tanner Stowers-Smith	✔
25	Taine Tuaupiki	✔	✔
26	Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	✔	✔
27	Demitric Vaimauga	✔	✔	✔	✔
28	Dallin Watene-Zelezniak	✔	✔	✔
S1	Kayliss Fatialofa	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: 28/30
Confirmed Supplementary 2025: 6/6

Confirmed Top 30 2026: 23/30
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

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This thread is solely for Warriors recruitment and retention discussion. Any posts not related to the above will be deleted.

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Please be mindful of what you are posting in this thread before clicking the reply button. Zero Tolerance to offtopic chat.

 

[roguei]

10 pages of bullshit posts.

come on guys, this isnt the gossip thread

*323 pages

 

[Christchurch_Warrior]

 

[j_p]

Wasn't there a recruitment rumor thread on the last forum or am I remembering incorrectly. Would be handy to keep the official thread cleaner.

 

[run_it_str8_again]

Only Joey Manu, that's it!

Kini Naholo looked alright at the weekend on the end of the hurricanes backline

 

[tajhay]

Wasn't there a recruitment rumor thread on the last forum or am I remembering incorrectly. Would be handy to keep the official thread cleaner.

 

[Garry Saloon]

I asked Grok
View attachment 12382

View attachment 12383

Also mentioned Munster, Hughes, Cleary as usual. IMO Manu makes most sense wouldn't it? Already won a GF so winning another with us would be special, we can give him a huge payday, have chased him before, and no contract issues past this year, can play FB/centre while we release Charnz and TMM...

Ai is not a source of information. Quite unreliable. It's good for excel formulas.

 

[CWC]

Ai is not a source of information. Quite unreliable. It's good for excel formulas.

Ya you need to know what to look for, good reference to know who are off contract when, Paps is off contract next year and Manu is the same, and the Manly giraffe, otherwise all the "big names" are stuck till at least 2027

 

[france]

i think at this stage we are creating our own rumours based off fantasy hypotheticals....

yep..calm down guys

 

[CWC]

I think clearing out CNK, TMM indicates they're after someone in the spine, "biggest signing ever" is likely bloated by fangirls

 

[Ever Hopeful]

Price & Wiki were pretty big back in the day, AFB wasn't as big when he signed with us.

Despite what people think of Tate's performances, he was pretty big too. Price was super-exciting.

Wiki was on the wane...if we had him via the napkin signature then it would have been prime Ruben steak

Other nuffies felt big at the time...Denan Kemp off a stellar one season wonder for the Broncos anyone?

 

[BuntyAppreciationSociety]

Warriors have scheduled a press conference for 3.30pm following the Knights press conference at 2.30pm - just kidding !!!!!

Edit: perhaps the "biggest signing" isn't a player? Signed to play at Eden park or something. Who is the heaviest off contract NRL player, perhaps that's what they mean by "biggest" signing.

I imagined that the player would just be writing their signature on a massive piece of paper so that it's literally the biggest signing. And it would be someone like Joash Papalii to play backup fullback next season.

 

[3rdstriker]

i think at this stage we are creating our own rumours based off fantasy hypotheticals....

Maybe those hypothetical rumours are due to a recruitment drought, and a huge treasure chest of skrilla.

 

[3rdstriker]

10 pages of bullshit posts.

come on guys, this isnt the gossip thread

Haha that's what happens to a recruitment thread in a major drought.
At least our teams won 3 on the bounce with a bye and we have a ton of money.

 

[Citygirl]

For about a year, I've had this absolutely mental notion that once the Panthers lose their grip on premierships, Ivan will relocate the family back to NZ, see out Nathan's career and see in Jetts.

There no basis for reality and the chances of happening are one in a million, but the cap sure allows for some creativity and I bet Ivan might make a pretty good GM...

I like this, yes please

 

[Horriors2013]

I asked Grok
View attachment 12382

View attachment 12383

Also mentioned Munster, Hughes, Cleary as usual. IMO Manu makes most sense wouldn't it? Already won a GF so winning another with us would be special, we can give him a huge payday, have chased him before, and no contract issues past this year, can play FB/centre while we release Charnz and TMM...

Yup. That's my best bet. Joey.

 

[CWC]

The way SJ explained the Leka try makes me think Taine is a pretty visionary player, he was the one directing the ball that way and eventually swinging around to create the extra number. Can’t imagine Dallin doing it. So if TMM leaves this year we have Metcalf/CHT/Boyd, and Taine can be that 4th half who’s also cover for FB and wing. Probably why there’s the rumor he might go this year

Next year if we do sign a FB Taine can play the same super utility role, and 2027 when Boyd leaves Taine would be either competing with CHT for that 6 spot or first drop and good amount of game time and break covering multiple positions

Some people worried about him leaving if we sign anyone but he’s too versatile to not get game time now

And pure guess work we lost Walker, Tohu and SJ, that’s enough to buy an elite spine player you can even break Dylan Brown ceiling. Moving TMM and CNK on you’d have the money for upgrading Leka, Ali, Demetric, Laban later on, if not quite enough - Marata and Capewell are at the end next year too

 

[Ever Hopeful]

10 pages of bullshit posts.

come on guys, this isnt the gossip thread

That used to be the case in previous management when there were credible tidbits and leaks here and there. These days there is nothing but conjecture and fanciful ponderings as everything is so tight-lipped.

Even guys like Hazelton who was apparently wined-and-dined by Webby, and all but signed according to Aussie journalists got no oxygen from the club itself.

Yeah everything has been gossip the last couple of days (though a couple of guys are pretty good sources). But it has been fun, especially leading into a bye week. It keeps the forum alive and kicking.

DCE is going somewhere, a hunch is that KP and Cobbo are too. There is room for a winger and a fullback at the club. The halfs are far from secure for the long-term. Why not play make believe a bit?!

Cleary though

 

[tajhay]

Guys, can we please stick to the topic ie recruitment and retention for Warriors for 25/26. Useless posts about Price/Wiki/Foran/Luke/Evans etc is not related. Nor is reminiscing about yesteryear.

Reply ban hammer on this thread is active if people want to continue to try their luck polluting the thread with irrelevant posts.

There are reminders littered all throughout this thread that if the post is not related to the thread title, the poster will have access revoked. Penalties now doubled for users who refuse to read.

 

[3rdstriker]

Guys, can we please stick to the topic ie recruitment and retention for Warriors for 25/26. Useless posts about Price/Wiki/Foran/Luke is not related.

Reply ban hammer on this thread is active if people want to continue to try their luck polluting the thread with irrelevant posts.

Hopefully this thread is fully alive with major announcements soon.

 

[Five&Last]

I could see Ponga leaving the Knights this off-season solely because I don’t think you sign Brown on 1.3m without some sort of indication that Ponga is going to take off.

It’s extremely hard to build a good team with two players taking up almost a quarter of the cap.

Having said that I think it’s more likely he ends up at the Blues or Canes to make a play for the World Cup squad. Will Jordan (who can play wing and also can’t kick like Ponga) is his only real competition for the AB’s 15 jersey. I also just don’t see the Knights releasing him early to join a rival club.