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
-	Jye Linnane	-	✔	✔	✔
-	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: 24/30
Confirmed Supplementary 2026: 1/6

2026 Gains: Jye Linnane (Newcastle Knights)
2026 Losses: Nil

Off Contract: Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale, Morgan Harper, Edward Kosi, Te Maire Martin, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Tanner Stowers-Smith
Off Contract from 01/11/25: Rocco Berry, Tanah Boyd, Kurt Capewell, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Jacob Laban, Freddy Lussick, Luke Metcalf, Marata Niukore, Taine Tuaupiki, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck

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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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[dylpickle]

So after 35 pages of possibly the greatest signing in warriors history and the hype it bought all over the internet, all we end up with is a teenager with 2 ACL injuries, an overpriced extension for CNK who will be blocking Taine and possibly losing a halfback who actually wants to stay in NZ. Great work Cappy. Great work.

 

[Ever Hopeful]

I think we will be in trouble next year with Capewell’s 3rd year, probably why we don’t want to give CNK a third year

Hoffman's last year mark 2.

 

[Wahs_Ultras]

 

[Damo]

So after 35 pages of possibly the greatest signing in warriors history and the hype it bought all over the internet, all we end up with is a teenager with 2 ACL injuries, an overpriced extension for CNK who will be blocking Taine and possibly losing a halfback who actually wants to stay in NZ. Great work Cappy. Great work.

Can't blame Cappy for fans making shit up

 

[peewee]

The reason we are having all these problems with our halves(eg TMM and Boyd) all comes down to one person.
And that person is Luke Metcalf.
Wanting to play 7. He should be 6, with Boyd at 7.
Metcalf is young so what happens when Cleary is ready to take the 7 spot, it will be blocked by a still young Metcalf
We could have a good 10 years of Cleary and Metcalf as a top halves combo

 

[John Nick]

The reason we are having all these problems with our halves(eg TMM and Boyd) all comes down to one person.
And that person is Luke Metcalf.
Wanting to play 7. He should be 6, with Boyd at 7.
Metcalf is young so what happens when Cleary is ready to take the 7 spot, it will be blocked by a still young Metcalf
We could have a good 10 years of Cleary and Metcalf as a top halves combo

LM might prefer to play 7 but he doesn't do the team selection. Webster must see something or have a plan

 

[The Warrior Waka]

Would love to keep Charnze, IF...We had speed on the wings & a more settled halves pairing with some footy nous.
Spine should be multi faceted. FB to slot into the halves. A 9 who can play in the halves. A half who can play FB.
CNK has done a awesome job at playing 6. LM can play FB. Egan could play 7.

Problem for CNK is our lack of speed on the wings and our green centres. Which leads to holes galore opening up and CNK being the last line of defense. His workload would be double that of any other FB in the NRL. And on top of that, being one of the slowest FBs. As he has to cover for the multiple deficiencies in our backline. Mans is burnt out.

And he is handy enough with his ball playing. But not enough to put fear into the opposition like a Ponga, Mitchell, Walsh , Gutherson, Tabuai-Fidow, Papenhuyzen,Trbojevic can do. And if they aren't as blessed with the ball playing ability they have express pace.

CNK is neither of those things. But makes up for in incredible work ethic , Makes the hard yards & solid defense.

He is a luxury to have if we had speed and enough footy nous in our backine and spine.

As it stands , With the exception of Egan & CNK. Our backine and spine is green as fuck. Leaitaua, Berry, Tuaupiki, CHT & Metcalf are still green. CHT has been in & out of the team. Pompey shuffled around or playing cup the past few years.

Some will say - Well then, We must keep him for his experience?
The rest will say - We can't afford to keep him and lose a young gun like Tuaupiki?
Rock & a hard place!

My personal preference is to let CNK go. Try LM or Tuaupiki at the back(Speed and ball playing. LM offers a kicking game). Have a dedicated 7 like Boyd. TMM and CHT to battle for the 6 spot.

Our centres have enormous potential. Size & power. Enough speed to trouble opposition backlines. And still green.

LM - speed - Leaitaua - Berry - Speed - TMM - Boyd - Egan - Bench CHT/Tuaupiki

Would be my preference.

 

[peewee]

Would love to keep Charnze, IF...We had speed on the wings & a more settled halves pairing with some footy nous.
Spine should be multi faceted. FB to slot into the halves. A 9 who can play in the halves. A half who can play FB.
CNK has done a awesome job at playing 6. LM can play FB. Egan could play 7.

Problem for CNK is our lack of speed on the wings and our green centres. Which leads to holes galore opening up and CNK being the last line of defense. His workload would be double that of any other FB in the NRL. And on top of that, being one of the slowest FBs. As he has to cover for the multiple deficiencies in our backline. Mans is burnt out.

And he is handy enough with his ball playing. But not enough to put fear into the opposition like a Ponga, Mitchell, Walsh , Gutherson, Tabuai-Fidow, Papenhuyzen,Trbojevic can do. And if they aren't as blessed with the ball playing ability they have express pace.

CNK is neither of those things. But makes up for in incredible work ethic , Makes the hard yards & solid defense.

He is a luxury to have if we had speed and enough footy nous in our backine and spine.

As it stands , With the exception of Egan & CNK. Our backine and spine is green as fuck. Leaitaua, Berry, Tuaupiki, CHT & Metcalf are still green. CHT has been in & out of the team. Pompey shuffled around or playing cup the past few years.

Some will say - Well then, We must keep him for his experience?
The rest will say - We can't afford to keep him and lose a young gun like Tuaupiki?
Rock & a hard place!

My personal preference is to let CNK go. Try LM or Tuaupiki at the back(Speed and ball playing. LM offers a kicking game). Have a dedicated 7 like Boyd. TMM and CHT to battle for the 6 spot.

Our centres have enormous potential. Size & power. Enough speed to trouble opposition backlines. And still green.

LM - speed - Leaitaua - Berry - Speed - TMM - Boyd - Egan - Bench CHT/Tuaupiki

Would be my preference.

Agree 100% on Boyd at 7. The Conductor.
The others (TMM and Metcalf) can do the rest

 

[3rdstriker]

The reason we are having all these problems with our halves(eg TMM and Boyd) all comes down to one person.
And that person is Luke Metcalf.
Wanting to play 7. He should be 6, with Boyd at 7.
Metcalf is young so what happens when Cleary is ready to take the 7 spot, it will be blocked by a still young Metcalf
We could have a good 10 years of Cleary and Metcalf as a top halves combo

Can't we all accept L.M at 7 is gonna take time?
That's what Websters plan is it could take months before we see great results if we snag a win this weekend then it's not a half bad start to the season.

 

[peewee]

Can't we all accept L.M at 7 is gonna take time?
That's what Websters plan is it could take months before we see great results if we snag a win this weekend then it's not a half bad start to the season.

But we already have a 1st grade 7 in Boyd. Until Cleary is ready.

 

[tyrael]

But we already have a 1st grade 7 in Boyd. Until Cleary is ready.

Which is weird that we signed him at all if Webster's long term plan is Metcalf.

Cnk to left center is the only thing I want from him. I prefer an older RTS over cnk and my first choice is Taine.

Can't we sign a good winger already?

Boyd and Harper are so wtf signings.

 

[roguei]

Which is weird that we signed him at all if Webster's long term plan is Metcalf.

Cnk to left center is the only thing I want from him. I prefer an older RTS over cnk and my first choice is Taine.

Can't we sign a good winger already?

Boyd and Harper are so wtf signings.

From my understanding, there wasn’t a confirmed half until the trials started. So it could have been TMM, Metcalf, or Boyd. They seem to follow a similar script to our fullbacks, TT and CNK — where the goal is for iron to sharpen iron.

Maybe Boyd just isn't that good, or maybe he'll get a shot soon. It could even be that Metcalf just gels better with the current spine players. After all, it's a team sport, and the best individual players don't always create the best team outcome.

Even if Webster has seen enough to give Metcalf the spot (and that’s a big assumption — personally, I think two bad games and he’ll likely be swapped out), our history with injuries in the halves means we’ll probably need both him and TMM as backups. We’ve just been really unlucky with where injuries have hit us this year. Instead of affecting areas where we have depth — like the halves, second-rowers, or hookers — it’s been mainly on the wings, centres, and now the fullbacks.

We have plenty of space in the team and our budget. So i really don't think these guys are taking up "too much space". Having lost tohu and walker during the season has also made us a little lighter in the middles as well.

 

[The Warrior Waka]

Agree 100% on Boyd at 7. The Conductor.
The others (TMM and Metcalf) can do the rest

This made me think of Buzz Rothfeilds choice of halves pairing for the wahs. He said the conductors of the wahs should be Te māori Martin and Luke Capewell.
First of all Buzz, You've mixed up Luke Metcalf , Kurt Capewell and ex south sydney player Luke Capewell into one person.
At least he got Te māori's? Ethnicity correct.

Him & Blocker need to go to principle O'shaq Hennessey's office and be reprimanded!!


View: https://youtu.be/zRpsRKuyi3Y?si=GX4PYVSyrwnTJuQs

 

[tyrael]

This made me think of Buzz Rothfeilds choice of halves pairing for the wahs. He said the conductors of the wahs should be Te māori Martin and Luke Capewell.
First of all Buzz, You've mixed up Luke Metcalf , Kurt Capewell and ex south sydney player Luke Capewell into one person.
At least he got Te māori's? Ethnicity correct.

Him & Blocker need to go to principle O'shaq Hennessey's office and be reprimanded!!


View: https://youtu.be/zRpsRKuyi3Y?si=GX4PYVSyrwnTJuQs

Buzz's mentor was the 12th Man.


View: https://youtu.be/WA1UKODNvDU?si=MP_F2gZQWOVc18CB

 

[WA Warrior]

Buzz's mentor was the 12th Man.


View: https://youtu.be/WA1UKODNvDU?si=MP_F2gZQWOVc18CB

Fuck this made me piss myself when I first heard.
Inearlyhada Nookie Ifsheonly Foundmyweiner

 

[3rdstriker]

But we already have a 1st grade 7 in Boyd. Until Cleary is ready.

Is he 1st grade ready though I'm sure Websters selections have more warrant than you and me realise.

 

[3rdstriker]

This made me think of Buzz Rothfeilds choice of halves pairing for the wahs. He said the conductors of the wahs should be Te māori Martin and Luke Capewell.
First of all Buzz, You've mixed up Luke Metcalf , Kurt Capewell and ex south sydney player Luke Capewell into one person.
At least he got Te māori's? Ethnicity correct.

Him & Blocker need to go to principle O'shaq Hennessey's office and be reprimanded!!


View: https://youtu.be/zRpsRKuyi3Y?si=GX4PYVSyrwnTJuQs

Bit of a throwback to beau knows .
Pronunciations with Kevin rudd.

 

[Rick O’Shay]

gonna go out on a limb here and say that in my opinion Metcalfe is not and never will be a 7. He's a natural runner and a heads up guy. Not the sort of half we need to get us down the field or carve off metres with the boot. Yes, he is quick and exciting at times but he can do that from 6 or 1 . We need a game manager. I'd put him back to cup for a while but tbh even as a 7 there I don't think he will excel.
At least Boyd is a true 7, maybe not the greatest in the world but to me is a more experienced half with a better boot than Metcalfe. TMM can play 7 but his kicking game doesn't seem to be up there with the top halves.
CHT, the jury is out, again, not convinced he's the 6 we need. Might be better in that 14 role.

With the number of inside backs we have coming through there must be a plan of progression, Cleary and Linnane aren't here to make up the numbers. I'm also very interested in seeing Healy debut. I think the kid has it in spades.

Just some thoughts and keep the discussion alive, in the end, I'm not sure we need to be bringing in any more Aussie halves, now outside backs is a different story.

 

[John Nick]

gonna go out on a limb here and say that in my opinion Metcalfe is not and never will be a 7. He's a natural runner and a heads up guy. Not the sort of half we need to get us down the field or carve off metres with the boot. Yes, he is quick and exciting at times but he can do that from 6 or 1 . We need a game manager. I'd put him back to cup for a while but tbh even as a 7 there I don't think he will excel.
At least Boyd is a true 7, maybe not the greatest in the world but to me is a more experienced half with a better boot than Metcalfe. TMM can play 7 but his kicking game doesn't seem to be up there with the top halves.
CHT, the jury is out, again, not convinced he's the 6 we need. Might be better in that 14 role.

With the number of inside backs we have coming through there must be a plan of progression, Cleary and Linnane aren't here to make up the numbers. I'm also very interested in seeing Healy debut. I think the kid has it in spades.

Just some thoughts and keep the discussion alive, in the end, I'm not sure we need to be bringing in any more Aussie halves, now outside backs is a different story.

I to have the opinion that LM would be better at 6 .
For me the jury is out on Boyd at 7.
I always thought that tmm would have been our 7 . Certainly not a 6.
I trust/hope Webster is right in his selection process and we see improvement even though we aren't going badly . A week or so ago we were looking good

 

[jonesy101]

Buzz's mentor was the 12th Man.


View: https://youtu.be/WA1UKODNvDU?si=MP_F2gZQWOVc18CB

I honestly don't know how the commentators at the moment are managing to call Hau Tapuha as Howtopooah. Defies belief.

To not get another ban I'd better stay on topic and say we need to get the next big name that randomly gets posted on social media and puts us all in a frenzy, but still hold on to Metcalf.