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: 25/30
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, Freddy Lussick, Luke Metcalf, Marata Niukore, Taine Tuaupiki, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck

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[Naynay]

Unfortunately it's not the way employment law works.

Any contract will carry clauses for early termination.

A pipe dream to think we can contractually forces Aussies to stay lol

Sorry poor wording on my part, I mean more like the stupid ones where if they don’t make finals they can go on the market.

The club has shown they are compassionate to Australian player that need to go home, so expect that to still apply.

 

[Warriorshopeful]

Yeah Nah the Sharks fucked up big time

Hynes, 26, was already contracted until the end of 2024 but penned a new six-year deal on Thursday that will keep him at the club until 2029.

Sharks make history with ‘surreal’ $7m Hynes deal; Broncos land Bennett blow: Transfer Centre

Sharks make history with ‘surreal’ $7m Hynes deal; Broncos land Bennett blow: Transfer Centre

www.foxsports.com.au

Haha funny they resigned him just before getting dropped from origin destroyed his confidence.

I think Metcalf most likely extends, he looks like he's very happy both on and off the field as long as we offer him enough $$, his price tag will only go up if he gets Dally M at end of year too so wonder if that will factor into it.

 

[Makasene]

Haha funny they resigned him just before getting dropped from origin destroyed his confidence.

I think Metcalf most likely extends, he looks like he's very happy both on and off the field as long as we offer him enough $$, his price tag will only go up if he gets Dally M at end of year too so wonder if that will factor into it.

I expect him to extend too.

It is the contract after that though that could become difficult.

Long way away from that though.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Haha funny they resigned him just before getting dropped from origin destroyed his confidence.

I think Metcalf most likely extends, he looks like he's very happy both on and off the field as long as we offer him enough $$, his price tag will only go up if he gets Dally M at end of year too so wonder if that will factor into it.

It was a weird move. He still had 2 years to run on his contract, no one could approach him, his price was sky high and probably couldn't be higher after a record Dally M.

 

[RobRoyMcCoy]

They got a spare million they had for Brown and were offering close to for Galvin

So do we. I think with all of the leavers (SJ, Tohu, Walker) we are in a great position to retain who we want to, from a dollars perspective. We are better placed to retain than recruit better replacements so I think we should continue down our current road. This means retaining Egan, Metcalf, CHT, Healy by paying them full market rate. Let us not piss around, low ball them so they walk and then we have to find someone better for the same or more money. I get the Oz connection, but if we pay them top whack, they are happy with the club culture and we are succeeding in the comp, they are less likely to leave.

It also means we have money to retain and upgrade the best of our young talent coming through our potent pipeline. We have transformed in this department radically since COVID and with the catchment of all of NZ, as long as we continue to succeed and show a pathway to NRL first grade success, like Leka, Jacob, Demi, Ali, Healy and TSS have demonstrated, we should hopefully attract the cream of the crop in NZ, in competition with the Oz scouts and teams.

With Fish, Egan, Barney, Marata, Capwah and Clark forming a formidable pack and with absolute X Factor young guns coming through it sadly means little chance of Bunty (who is one of my favourite players for his devotion to the club), Ale, Lussick and Going having a long term future at the Warriors.

The backs (outside of the halves) is a little different. I think retaining TMM would be a good bet as he is qualitay, reasonable value and great cover for LM and CHT, plus he has utility elsewhere in the backline. Our aging wingers are probably where we need to recruit externally or find some local young stars.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/13581534881?profile=RESIZE_1200x

Eels forum watching the Metcalf situation

Awesome! I hope they celebrate with us when he extends.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Don't see Metcalf going anywhere for the 6 jersey. The guy is desperate to be a 7. We may be in strife if Cleary continues to rise however

Cross that bridge when it happens.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Are the eels also watching the Martin, Kosi and bunty situation?

 

[Lance155]

They got a spare million they had for Brown and were offering close to for Galvin

1. We could match it
2. Don't see money being a motivating factor.

He will be a 6 there. He is loving being so involved at 7, won't give that up. Much more likely to go to another club at halfback

 

[Mr. Brownstone]

He has a point.

You don't.

I do not agree with everything he says but he has a point and any non self righteous NRL apologist will acknowledge the Warriors are (rightfully) the outsiders in the Australian NRL narrative.

He’s playing the victim, not overly surprised you are in agreement with him. There’s always going to be the odd Australian who hates on NZ, however most NRL fans are fans of the Warriors doing well, I’d say we’d easily be more people’s ‘second team’ than any other side. You only had to be there at Magic Round to see it. The Warriors aren’t outsiders.

 

[Five&Last]

Throw 1 mil per year at Metcalf prior to Nov 1. We aren't going to get anyone of his quality as a replacement in the most important position. If he does return to his injury riddled self, then it is what it is. Anything less than that, I think he returns back to Aus.

The only way we are going to replace Metcalf is through the pathways. And the likes of Jack Thompson, Tyson Hansen, Tusa Soagia are still 2-4 years away.

 

[Blain]

Are the eels also watching the Martin, Kosi and bunty situation?

Mate that forum is watching anything that moves, that squad is shit

 

[tajhay]

I do not agree with everything he says but he has a point and any non self righteous NRL apologist will acknowledge the Warriors are (rightfully) the outsiders in the Australian NRL narrative.

This is exactly how broncos dickhead fans thought/think about their club competing in the comp.

Moral of the story: dont act the same like those fans. You are creating your own narrative. The Warriors are well liked in Australia. We would like to keep it that way thanks. Travel well and travel far. Insular 'us v them' mindset limits ones growth.

Edit : agree with locking Metcalf up.

 

[CWC]

Johnson
Jones
Marshall
Hughes
Paul (Henry).

So on average one appears five times in thirty years or 16.7% chance times fifteen other club scouts competing to secure said player in other words the chances of the Warriors finding the next SJ is VERY small.

Enter Andrew Mcfadden who hires a dozen junior Australian halves......coz he is a footy genius who thinks about this shit and has the answers before any of us types a word in the dark.

McFadden is the Warriors coach who survived sacking, yeah one of a kind. After failing under the weight of the NZ League system....Cappy is not Fucking around, Cappy says fuck the next SJ lets just buy the best of what our cap money can afford and stack the Warriors with halves in all grades and make them look like the average really good Australian club that has heaps of decent halves in every grade - screw the sleeping Giant .

McFadden will be why we win a premiership.

I worship the ground that bald Aussie walks on. He is the mastermind behind the throne.


View: https://youtu.be/PP2FyYSUJ54?si=8BkYSlkvgLJ9bH7M

??


Btw McFadden would be my head coach if Webby ever moves on unless they find someone great again, hope they combine for at least a decade if working well though

That title probably suits Junior Nsemba more so than Gannon.
On Gannon, looks like he's now a first choice in Leeds' Second Row with 5 consecutive starts.
To continue the glazing of McFadden, he's done an incredible job. His predecessor, Craig Hodges, wasn't too bad either with CNK, Barnett, Metcalf, SJ & TMM joining/rejoining under his watch

Was it Peter O’Sullivan that recruited them or was he prior to that?

 

[Cces]

Was it Peter O’Sullivan that recruited them or was he prior to that?

CNK, Barnett & TMM were definitely while Hodges was in the role. I mistakenly credited him with SJ's signing but that was in 2021 so a O'Sullivan one. Metcalf signed only a few weeks after POS was announced as going to the Dolphins so he might've played a role in that one too before he left

 

[kos]

This is exactly how broncos dickhead fans thought/think about their club competing in the comp.

Moral of the story: dont act the same like those fans. You are creating your own narrative. The Warriors are well liked in Australia. We would like to keep it that way thanks. Travel well and travel far. Insular 'us v them' mindset limits ones growth.

Edit : agree with locking Metcalf up.

I would back that up. The Warriors are certainly well liked by league fans where I live in Queensland.

 

[Canadian_Warriors_Fan]

d show they can carve the opposition off a world class set up and platform base.

This is Cappys real genius, all our Raw kiwi kids are getting the same exposure to Aussie environments as they would normally seek by pissing off from NZ and bypassing the Warriors to get the Aussie education offshore.

Now the Warriors are looking at offering the best education in junior football in the NRL thanks to McFadden bringing in all these Australian spine players to give these kids of ours a Penrith and Storm like Junior platform.

The Warriors are truly headed for an era of winning in our current set up. No joke, we have the Staff to finally fix this club.

I would back that up. The Warriors are certainly well liked by league fans where I live in Queensland.

same here in inner west sydney, once you stay away from the obnoxious doggies fans.

 

[Theking267]

O’Sullivan was definitely part of the Metcalf signing wanted to get rid of CHT. He wanted the spine to be SJ, Metcalf, Egan & Manu with Walsh leaving.

 

[tyrael]

CNK, Barnett & TMM were definitely while Hodges was in the role. I mistakenly credited him with SJ's signing but that was in 2021 so a O'Sullivan one. Metcalf signed only a few weeks after POS was announced as going to the Dolphins so he might've played a role in that one too before he left

I know you mean Peter o Sullivan, but pos stands for piece of shit

I think if clubs were willing to give Galvin at least 700k then Metcalf can get at least 900k. 1 million if he can kick above 80%.

 

[Tragic]

Hahaha Sux60. The Nickleback of NZ

What's wrong with nickleback? I mean they aren't great but they aren't poison or skid row level bad.

And Six60 are great!