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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[Worried2Death]

Plus he’s only small

Do you think that's the main reason he doesn't get tried in the halves? I'd like to see how he handles it in the middle, but could be other reasons.

 

[Noitall]

Do you think that's the main reason he doesn't get tried in the halves? I'd like to see how he handles it in the middle, but could be other reasons.

He’s hearty enough to at least be a speed bump and give time for help to pull bigger bodies down. Probably one of the better kickers in the team too

 

[sup42]

Speed is not the only quality necessary for a winger/fullback. Footwork is also important as well as the ability to anticipate the opponents movements. Taine is playing in an unusual position (for him) as well as regularly having a height disadvantage. I think his best position is at fullback, but he could fill in where needed (as he is doing at present).

All that and Taine is playing in the worst halves pairing for clunkyness since well there are too many to name....but yeah he is hardly getting a decent platform.

His current situation is a bit of a Star Trek away team assignment.

 

[kos]

Taine 83 kg
Lachie Galvin 85kg

Too small for the halves?

 

[Worried2Death]

Taine 83 kg
Lachie Galvin 85kg

Too small for the halves?

How is that possible, he's a foot taller

 

[kos]

How is that possible, he's a foot taller

lies on wikipedia?

 

[CWC]

Just read the expansion thread, so I guess the top players we need to lock down would be Leka, Ali, Demetric and Laban? Probably works in our favor if we can farm young future super stars and have them cheap in the first few years...do they need to look at South Island ie Canterbury for junior playmakers lol, seem to be importing Aussie juniors and lacking in Auckland

 

[VB89]

FFS if Joey Manu comes to the Warriors hes not going to NSW Cup "to see how he goes"

He slots into the 13 from day dot. There would be no concerns with conditioning nor ability to play

 

[CWC]

What's the source of all this rejuvenated Manu talk?

 

[Kav1]

Yeah, I like the buy - it's a win-win for player and club ... would be nice to get someone immediately tho...

Has had about 30 games with Leeds and only 19 -sounds a good buy for added depth when Marata/Capewell move on

 

[rugged]

What's the source of all this rejuvenated Manu talk?

Was something I heard from someone connected to the club, but given the lack of other reports I am wondering if it is genuine. Time will tell

 

[Kav1]

Give it to someone else and you risk losing some of our tighter games. Small mistakes in the middle cost a lot. We've already loaded up quite heavily with inexperienced players (Ali, Laban, Leka, Demetric and Metcalf all having under 30 NRL games).

I see Griffin Neame from the Cowboys is coming off contract at the end of the 2025 season. He is a reliable prop and a tough west coaster so has plenty of good qualities. Maybe he would accept a contract to be closer to home

 

[CWC]

I see Griffin Neame from the Cowboys is coming off contract at the end of the 2025 season. He is a reliable prop and a tough west coaster so has plenty of good qualities. Maybe he would accept a contract to be closer to home

Neame's contract ends at the end of 2026 so we can talk to him at the end of this season

2025 NRL Signings Tracker: Dragons lock down young gun; Warriors snare boom English forward

The Dragons have locked down a young gun for the next two seasons while the Warriors have snared the signature of boom English forward Morgan Gannon from Leeds.

www.nrl.com

 

[france]

Neame's contract ends at the end of 2026 so we can talk to him at the end of this season

2025 NRL Signings Tracker: Dragons lock down young gun; Warriors snare boom English forward

The Dragons have locked down a young gun for the next two seasons while the Warriors have snared the signature of boom English forward Morgan Gannon from Leeds.

www.nrl.com

no..just keep developing our young guys

 

[Tookey 2.0]

Neame's contract ends at the end of 2026 so we can talk to him at the end of this season

Neame would be an excellent get. Looks like we've got Barney until the end of 2027, so he'll deffo be slowing down by midway through that year. JFH contracted to the end of 2028, could go another year potentially but I really don't like the idea of us losing Barney and Fish within 12 months of each other

He's got height (6'4) and I think he'll likely get up to 110kg which will be quite big, a different body shape to what we have already.

Neame and Vaimauga our starting props for 2028, with Fish reverting back to the bench? Looks pretty decent imo

 

[Get them onside ref!]

I see Griffin Neame from the Cowboys is coming off contract at the end of the 2025 season. He is a reliable prop and a tough west coaster so has plenty of good qualities. Maybe he would accept a contract to be closer to home

Good idea

 

[3rdstriker]

What's the source of all this rejuvenated Manu talk?

The sauce came directly from @rugged, personally I think he was just trying to keep this thread ticking over.

 

[sup42]

FFS if Joey Manu comes to the Warriors hes not going to NSW Cup "to see how he goes"

He slots into the 13 from day dot. There would be no concerns with conditioning nor ability to play

I laughed with your post not at it.

The only reason I could see Manu doing a NSW cup stint is if he asks for it to get the feel back.

Unlikely he would though. For him it would be like a Kiwi coming home from America, jumping in a car, and driving on the correct side of the road - it might feel a little weird for a few minutes, but not unfamiliar.

Also these Rugby players are pretty fit right? even though backs might not do the same game load (I dunno, I am truly ignorant of the vagaries of the other code).

 

[rugged]

The sauce came directly from @rugged, personally I think he was just trying to keep this thread ticking over.

Have been a member since the old old site. If I was going to post crap for giggles i wouldnt have waited over a decade Have been upfront that I don’t know the strength of my source only that they do have access to players and management and spent social time in the dressing room on Friday night.
With each passing day looks like it was more smoke than fire but am hoping we may yet be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Noitall]

Have been a member since the old old site. If I was going to post crap for giggles i wouldnt have waited over a decade Have been upfront that I don’t know the strength of my source only that they do have access to players and management and spent social time in the dressing room on Friday night.
With each passing day looks like it was more smoke than fire but am hoping we may yet be pleasantly surprised.

Thanks for posting it, always enjoy hearing people passing on legitimate rumours they’ve heard. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him here next year. The club is very confidential and people like Denan Kemp mentioning they’d heard it on his podcast that was on here further makes it a real possibility