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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[shuffle]

Hard out. I'm all for Pommy signings. I know a lot of the supporter base would disagree.

Me too! I look at Canberra and how well their English signings have been over the years though over here it’s been more miss than hit I hope Gannon changes that! 21 and 193cm that’s a start!

 

[Noitall]

Looks like we've been shopping in the value bin this week.

Double ACL Jye Linnane and concussion Gannon.

Let's see if the Moneyball route is the best way forward, but I'm really hoping we have a Ponga or Manu under our Easter tree

With just the day before information coming out that Gannon is staying put in England, you never know now about the possibility other players that were mentioned and the chances of getting them over?

 

[Noitall]

Saw on the cowboys forum that they are chasing Tanah Boyd and Billy Walters hard

 

[John Nick]

Saw on the cowboys forum that they are chasing Tanah Boyd and Billy Walters hard

Does the Cows forum have as many rumour mongers as us Noitall?

 

[Lance155]

Saw on the cowboys forum that they are chasing Tanah Boyd and Billy Walters hard

Cowboys love a shit player. Happy to see Boyd leave

 

[Noitall]

Does the Cows forum have as many rumour mongers as us Noitall?

No one trying to decipher his instagram posts yet

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

I would be pissed if we never saw Boyd play in a warriors jersey! He had his best games at Mt Smart, I was hoping he would continue that for us.

I believe we would be pleasantly surprised seing him run the team around. He's not a gun halfback but he could do a real job for us.

I hope we get Neame for Boyd

 

[Dannevegas]

I wonder if we can get an immediate release.

Swap for origin star Capewell

 

[Noitall]

With it sounding like CNK will reject super league interest and extend, I wonder if he’s been sold that on playing fullback?

 

[Dempsey]

I wouldn’t be jumping in to upgrade CHT yet
Hasn’t shown enough on attack for me
Metcalf dunno either
This year is very interesting for Cuddles
He’s got his favourites and he’s sticking with them!
He will live and die by the sword for that reason

Name calling is immature and very weak.

 

[Noitall]

Name calling is immature and very weak.

Think we’re going to have to get used to it. With it highlighted red and going through to his profile, looks like it’s become his permanent nickname

 

[Wah's Up]

Michael burgess 24 hours ago said we weren’t signing him. There goes all his credibility. So don’t listen to him when he says Joey Manu isn’t happening. LOL

Is Micheal Burgess GeePee's new name? However I look forward to any new signing and welcome them to the Wahs

 

[Cces]

I don't have an opinion on Gannon because I've never seen him play but yesterday he played his 10th (out of a possible 10) game of the season. 6 games off the bench, 3 in Second Row & one at 5/8

 

[roguei]

I don't have an opinion on Gannon because I've never seen him play but yesterday he played his 10th (out of a possible 10) game of the season. 6 games off the bench, 3 in Second Row & one at 5/8

He played one at 5/8? Looking more and more like a tohu replacement. Hope we land him and this isn't just one big tease.

 

[Wrighty]

Is he, Gannon, coming to us potentially, as a lock or as a second rower primarily?

 

[Damo]

Is he, Gannon, coming to us potentially, as a lock or as a second rower primarily?

 

[Ever Hopeful]

Cuddles doesn't even make sense to me, which is why I want it to die. What does it even mean - he's too buddy-buddy and blurs professional lines? He's weak and doesn't have the ruthlessness required?

I think he has done a great job with the resources available (not many coaches could lose AFB, SJ, Harris, Walker, and band together a bunch of limited players the way he has). Two criticism levelled at him have been his bench use and a hesitancy to bring youth through too quickly. Neither, which should earn a "Cuddles" nickname, and he probably got the youth thing right.

Cuddles would suggest he has favourites. I don't know if I see that, he favours experience (so does Bennett) and consistency of combinations, and we just don't have the depth to turf aside the unfashionable players. I think we have tried to be quite cut-throat in the choices around retention, we just don't have some of the advantages we need there. Jazz, CNK, TMM, Montoya. Bunty was told to look around.

Cuddles doesn't seem clever, and it seems like an unwarranted, antagonistic label on a good coach who we are lucky to have. Is there something I'm missing?

 

[tyrael]

Cuddles doesn't even make sense to me, which is why I want it to die. What does it even mean - he's too buddy-buddy and blurs professional lines? He's weak and doesn't have the ruthlessness required?

I think he has done a s great job with the resources available. Two criticism levelled at him have been his bench use and a hesitancy to bring youth through too quickly. Neither, which should earn a "Cuddles" nickname, and he probably got the youth thing right.

Cuddles would suggest he has favourites. I don't know if I see that, he favours experience (so does Bennett), and we just don't have the depth to turf aside the unfashionable players. I think we have tried to be quite cut-throat in the choices around retention, we just don't have some of the advantages we need there. Jazz, CNK, TMM, Montoya. Bunty was told to look around.

Cuddles doesn't seem clever, and it seems like an unwarranted, antagonistic label on a good coach who we are lucky to have. Is there something I'm missing?

I think thinking about what his name means is like people who focus on māori names like Waka Kotahi or why should we have signs that say Kura where a sign that says school will suffice.

Who cares what his nickname is. A big guy being called Tiny, do you ever question it?

My own opinion says, let's grumble at the shit that actually wins us games. What he's doing and not doing.

Before I get called derailing this thread, I'm still waiting on someone fast. That dolphins v storm game really highlighted that. Even their forwards Kerr and Stone looked fast.

 

[Ever Hopeful]

I think thinking about what his name means is like people who focus on māori names like Waka Kotahi or why should we have signs that say Kura where a sign that says school will suffice.

Who cares what his nickname is. A big guy being called Tiny, do you ever question it?

My own opinion says, let's grumble at the shit that actually wins us games. What he's doing and not doing.

Before I get called derailing this thread, I'm still waiting on someone fast. That dolphins v storm game really highlighted that. Even their forwards Kerr and Stone looked fast.

Because it is disrespectful towards a man most of us respect highly. Webster has mana, and seems to treat our players, fans and club with fidelity.

And Tiny makes sense, it is ironic. Cuddles, doesn't seem to have logic. Even Princess was given to SJ by the players in jest. Cuddles does not seem to have that history, and has been created to criticise.

I'll leave it now too, as I don't want to derail the thread either.

 

[Cces]

He played one at 5/8?

Yes, a 14 point win over the struggling Castleford. According to the stats no kicks from him that day in the role