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
-	Morgan Gannon	-
-	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: 26/30
Confirmed Supplementary 2026: 1/6

2026 Gains: Jye Linnane (Newcastle Knights), Morgan Gannon (Leeds Rhinos)
2026 Losses: Nil

Off Contract: Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale, Morgan Harper, Edward Kosi, Te Maire Martin, 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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[snake77]

Good to have it confirmed. Better than rumours that keep going on and nothing happening.

 

[Jaffa J]

Different body shape is what we wanted I'm excited to see what he can do

 

[roguei]

Isiah Yeo project?

Feels that way. So we have:
Niukore -> Leka
Capes -> Laban
JFH/Barney -> Demetric
Tohu/Walker -> Erin and Gannon?

Feels like Demetric was meant to take the tohu slot. But i think thats going to be impossible unless you force him to 5/8 for some games. Those sorts of locks, at some point were playing as a half. Clark was, tohu was, walker was... So probably best to just make him into a good all out prop.

 

[Canonball]

Feels that way. So we have:
Niukore -> Leka
Capes -> Laban
JFH/Barney -> Demetric
Tohu/Walker -> Erin and Gannon?

Feels like Demetric was meant to take the tohu slot. But i think thats going to be impossible unless you force him to 5/8 for some games. Those sorts of locks, at some point were playing as a half. Clark was, tohu was, walker was... So probably best to just make him into a good all out prop.

We're going to have a killer pack for a decade or more ... it's great to see the makings of it ... just need some outside back talent to come thru

 

[CWC]

Feels that way. So we have:
Niukore -> Leka
Capes -> Laban
JFH/Barney -> Demetric
Tohu/Walker -> Erin and Gannon?

Feels like Demetric was meant to take the tohu slot. But i think thats going to be impossible unless you force him to 5/8 for some games. Those sorts of locks, at some point were playing as a half. Clark was, tohu was, walker was... So probably best to just make him into a good all out prop.

Hopefully another home grown prop to pair with Demetric when Fish/Barney wind down, that guy needs to be discovered and developed in FG in the next year, or identify a kiwi prop in his early 20s right now to sign within 2-3 years, Whyte is a favorite here

 

[Worried2Death]

Hopefully another home grown prop to pair with Demetric when Fish/Barney wind down, that guy needs to be discovered and developed in FG in the next year, or identify a kiwi prop in his early 20s right now to sign within 2-3 years, Whyte is a favorite here

How about young TSS and Crosby in a couple of years

 

[Wrighty]

How about young TSS and Crosby in 2026?

Fixed that for you.

 

[Leon Black]

512 days out of the game with head knock issues? Bit of a risk

 

[Worried2Death]

Fixed that for you.

Tanner must be close to a debut, be interesting to see if he has the motor for first grade. Not the biggest or heaviest fulla but he should fill out a bit when he gets his man body, even though he already looks like a 30 year old bald brother.

 

[Wrighty]

Well we got our man
Well done recruitment team

 

[Tohu’s_Knees]

I feel it’s all starting to come together for a title run in 2027.

Now we just need to extend Metcalf and CHT
Sign an Alpha prop
Sign a dynamic winger

We have the cap space, and Marata, Capewell, RTS and DWZ will be gone. So there’s not really a risk of blowing the cap.

Everything else is kinda sorted.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

512 days out of the game with head knock issues? Bit of a risk

safety precaution with him being so young at the time

 

[WA Warrior]

safety precaution with him being so young at the time

Shows the maturity he had at such a young age.
Kudos to him and the Rhinos, not an easy decision but most definitely best for his longevity.

 

[Warriorsfan92]

I feel it’s all starting to come together for a title run in 2027.

Now we just need to extend Metcalf and CHT
Sign an Alpha prop
Sign a dynamic winger

We have the cap space, and Marata, Capewell, RTS and DWZ will be gone. So there’s not really a risk of blowing the cap.

Everything else is kinda sorted.

We’ve got two alpha props signed on long term, with vaimauga and TSS coming through for bench roles.

Marata is being phased out slowly for leka, and Capewell won’t be re signed past his current deal, for Laban to take over that edge.

RTS will be gone, unsure re DWZ, but taine & Pompey are both great options as it stands and are signed through for another 1-2 years.

With the bears coming into the comp it places even more emphasis to re sign our junior talent on long term deals to keep them at the club.

 

[Ever Hopeful]

I do wonder if another two teams mean that players are given the opportunity to play on into more advanced years. The general age of playmakers has certainly done that already. The various codes seem to be competing for less kids coming through.

I wonder if a player like RTS still gets offered contracts for a while to come (if the hunger is there). He still has raw power.

 

[sup42]

Finally the Warriors sign the next Dennis Bets out of England while he is cheap and young.
Hopefully we look after him well and he is happy here, welcome to Aotearoa son.

Be interesting to see if he maintains a lean build like so many famous English backrow/loose forwards or whether we turn him into Sam Burgess.

Getting ahead of myself there but it is about time the Warriors scouted a young English forward with promise, sick of watching the Raiders and Rabbitohs getting amazing forwards from England while we pick our arses.

 

[Tohu’s_Knees]

We’ve got two alpha props signed on long term, with vaimauga and TSS coming through for bench roles.

Marata is being phased out slowly for leka, and Capewell won’t be re signed past his current deal, for Laban to take over that edge.

RTS will be gone, unsure re DWZ, but taine & Pompey are both great options as it stands and are signed through for another 1-2 years.

With the bears coming into the comp it places even more emphasis to re sign our junior talent on long term deals to keep them at the club.

I feel it’s pretty optimistic to think that JFH and Barnett won’t slow down by 2027. (Happy to be wrong there btw)

Maybe “alpha” was too strong a word. A good prop.
And if they can promote internally, great.
Vaimauga, JFH and Barnett will certainly need help though.

 

[Five&Last]

Feels that way. So we have:
Niukore -> Leka
Capes -> Laban
JFH/Barney -> Demetric
Tohu/Walker -> Erin and Gannon?

Feels like Demetric was meant to take the tohu slot. But i think thats going to be impossible unless you force him to 5/8 for some games. Those sorts of locks, at some point were playing as a half. Clark was, tohu was, walker was... So probably best to just make him into a good all out prop.

Prop: Demetric, TSS, Tuipulotu-Vea, Salalilo, Crosby, Durbin
Second Row: Halasima, Laban, Ieremia-Toeava, Fatialofa
Lock: Gannon

Even further down the junior pathways to the Harold Matts we have some potential superstar forwards in Lennox Tuiloma, Bishop Neal, Lucian Mikaele, Satali Fretton, Ronan Byford and Krushil Koteka.

 

[Matiunz]

I know we’ve got a few 2nd rowers on the books but Gannon looks to me like a Walker replacement, like Capewell it gives us the ability to go full forward bench with back cover built in

 

[Dannevegas]

I'd wait and see how Tuaupikis ceiling goes i reckon he might excel kinis.

No way, Kinis already twice the player at 20 years old.