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	Jett Cleary	✔	S	S
9	Wayde Egan	✔	✔	✔
10	James Fisher-Harris	✔	✔	✔	✔
11	Jackson Ford	✔	✔	✔
12	Leka Halasima	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
13	Morgan Harper	✔
14	Chanel Harris-Tavita	✔	✔
15	Sam Healey	✔	✔	✔
16	Edward Kosi	✔
17	Jacob Laban	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
18	Ali Leiataua	✔	✔	✔
19	Jye Linnane	✔	✔	✔	✔
20	Freddy Lussick	✔	✔
21	Te Maire Martin	✔	✔
22	Luke Metcalf	✔	✔
23	Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	✔	✔	✔
24	Marata Niukore	✔	✔
25	Adam Pompey	✔	✔	✔
26	Tanner Stowers-Smith	✔	✔	✔
27	Taine Tuaupiki	✔	✔
28	Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	✔	✔
29	Demitric Vaimauga	✔	✔	✔	✔
30	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
-	Morgan Gannon	-	✔	✔	✔
-	Motu Pasikala	T	?	?

C = Club option, M = Mutual option, P = Player option, S = Supplementary contract, T = Train & Trial contract

Top 30 2025: 30/30
Supplementary 2025: 6/6

Top 30 2026: 27/30
Supplementary 2026: 1/6

2026 Gains: Morgan Gannon (Leeds Rhinos)
2026 Losses: Edward Kosi (South Sydney Rabbitohs)

Off Contract: Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale, Morgan Harper
Can negotiate with other clubs from Nov 1, 2025 (Entering final year) : Rocco Berry, Tanah Boyd, Kurt Capewell, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Freddy Lussick, Te Maire Martin, Luke Metcalf, Marata Niukore, Taine Tuaupiki, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck

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[Dannevegas]

Is this our squad so far for next year? I’d be trying to offload Dallin, Niukore and Lussick that would give us 25, id upgrade Sio Kali to top 30 and chase a top tier speed winger that’s not AKP. If Jye lynnane is not getting a look in to be a FB id also be chasing a top 10 fb and a big bopper prop on the young side that would give us 28/30


Tauapik/Lynnane
Rts
Leiataua/Fatialofa
Berry/Leiataua
Watene-Zelezniak/Kali
Metcalf
Martin
Fish
Egan
Barnett
Halasima
Capewell
Clark

Healey
Stowers-Smith
Ford
Laban

CNK
Pompey
Pasikala
Fatialofa
Harris-Tavita
Boyd
Lynnane
Lussick
Niukore
Eiremia-Toeava
Gannon

Dev:
Kali
Norris
Cleary
Tafua
Salalilo

 

[Five&Last]

It’s very hard to find any updates on Lennox ?

Just seen that he wasn't named in the St Thomas team for NZSS, so obviously still injured which is pretty concerning.

 

[Blain]

Saw a post on their forum saying they should throw 400k per year at him. Like what??? They can absolutely have him at that price.

Crosby could be an amazing player but he also has a very low floor. The weekends NSW cup game is a perfect example of what that floor looks like. He was dreadful.

I'd be offering him a two year deal with development contract in 2026 and guaranteed top 30 in 2027.

Also keep seeing that Gaelic football and AFL are interested in Tom Ale on their forum, so I have disregarded everything else that comes from that forum from now on.

Bro if their forum is thinking Tom Ale is being chased by AFL, that's the stupidist shit I've seen in a while.

 

[kos]

Bro if their forum is thinking Tom Ale is being chased by AFL, that's the stupidist shit I've seen in a while.

Perhaps they got Ale mixed up with Xavier Coates
Now that guy is an AFL possibility.
Tom- well not at all lol

 

[Theking267]

Crosby would be great for us to keep he’s a point of difference. He’s a power runner around all the workers. Tom Ale unfortunately is too similar to all the other props huge workrate but not the power runner we need in the middle.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

The problematic scenario I see happening is Niukore signs with Perth in November and just absolutely coasts through 2026 knowing his future is sorted.

He's going to be difficult to offload.

Why would Bears take him at anything over min value? He'll be 30 turning 31 without a decent season in half a decade

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Surely Broncos will take him, They need second rowers, it’s even worth chipping in half to get him off the books and free up a roster spot

The Broncos are stuffed with average second rowers, everyone is.

 

[kos]

Crosby would be great for us to keep he’s a point of difference. He’s a power runner around all the workers. Tom Ale unfortunately is too similar to all the other props huge workrate but not the power runner we need in the middle.

Who do you see as our current power runners?
Great terminology.

 

[sup42]

Crosby is a long term project, he is carrying the wrong body shape for league. That is not just me pulling an opinion finger outta my ass - take a look at his Quad thickness, the striations (his thighs have muscles on muscles to coin an old phrase) - you will not find another player in our code with those Quads.

Great for pushing in scrums etc but in league it is more weight to carry than other players (Muscle weighs more than fat).

The club Physicians and medico specialists including dieticians will be well aware of Crosby's challenges, they have already started to lean him down, you can see he is not as thick through the core of late and his legs are moving better when he runs.

But these issues he has, took years to build and will take that to strip back down. He will be having less protein in his diet, he will be doing less weight training that involves low rep high weight etc.

All of this adds up to a guy that will fluctuate in performance any given week because they are really messing around with his whole lifestyle, especially the diet regime, side effects will include sleep disturbance, lethargy, fatigue, mood disturbance, Gastrointestinal upsets etc.

Getting rid of muscle can be dangerous, it can certainly be an unhealthy to manage muscle wasting intentionally, even if it is a controlled and monitored process.

Is it worth it? is he worth it? well given that he has that rare combination of size, speed, power, explosiveness and footwork they would be daft not to try.

I think Crosby is very interesting, we have not seen an athlete like him, and for that reason, no one in league knows how to transition that type of player.

He is a well known student of physical fitness and skills going off his background, so failure will not be his fault, nor probably even the Warriors fault, and this is what fascinates me most, can a true Union forward be turned into a complete League player when that Union forward is not just a big guy that can use their size to cross codes?

 

[Theking267]

Who do you see as our current power runners?
Great terminology.

We really have only one in first grade which is Halasima but he’s on the edge, and Crosby would be the other. Bunty has been miscast as this type of player when he’s really a workhouse. Lots of hitups, tackles per minute, same with Vaiamauga another workhorse.

 

[Tookey 2.0]

We really have only one in first grade which is Halasima but he’s on the edge, and Crosby would be the other. Bunty has been miscast as this type of player when he’s really a workhouse. Lots of hitups, tackles per minute, same with Vaiamauga another workhorse.

Vaimauga is an interesting one. Selling him short a wee bit by saying he's a workhorse, as I've seen him put a few players on their arse while trying to tackle him. He's also got a touch of finesse and good ball playing, and seems to have good footy IQ too. Give him another few years to hit his peak physical form and I think Vaimauga will be having those bollocking runs a few times a game

 

[Noitall]

Vaimauga is an interesting one. Selling him short a wee bit by saying he's a workhorse, as I've seen him put a few players on their arse while trying to tackle him. He's also got a touch of finesse and good ball playing, and seems to have good footy IQ too. Give him another few years to hit his peak physical form and I think Vaimauga will be having those bollocking runs a few times a game

Bunty’s strong runs although looking impressive, don’t actually have a huge effect on his opponents but when Vaimauga does them he sends bodies flying. I’m seeing everything in this guy, footwork, ball playing, offloads and iq as you mentioned. He’s going to be a great of the club I believe

 

[manunonu]

Is this our squad so far for next year? I’d be trying to offload Dallin, Niukore and Lussick that would give us 25, id upgrade Sio Kali to top 30 and chase a top tier speed winger that’s not AKP. If Jye lynnane is not getting a look in to be a FB id also be chasing a top 10 fb and a big bopper prop on the young side that would give us 28/30


Tauapik/Lynnane
Rts
Leiataua/Fatialofa
Berry/Leiataua
Watene-Zelezniak/Kali
Metcalf
Martin
Fish
Egan
Barnett
Halasima
Capewell
Clark

Healey
Stowers-Smith
Ford
Laban

CNK
Pompey
Pasikala
Fatialofa
Harris-Tavita
Boyd
Lynnane
Lussick
Niukore
Eiremia-Toeava
Gannon

Dev:
Kali
Norris
Cleary
Tafua
Salalilo

pompey should be one of the first picked in that backline

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Why would Bears take him at anything over min value? He'll be 30 turning 31 without a decent season in half a decade

Because we all assume the new clubs are shit and desperate if he misses out there, there is always PNG!

 

[CWC]

Demi’s kick return is Paleaaesina reincarnated, has Tohu hands and a AFB step, and has pace to scramble on defense

He basically set up this try

Round 13: Leka finishes a Warriors wonder try

DrinkWise Try of the Week winner for Round 13

www.nrl.com