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	-	✔	✔	✔
-	Haizyn Mellars	✔	✔	✔
-	Motu Pasikala	T	?	?

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

Top 30 2026: 29/30
Supplementary 2026: 1/6

2026 Gains: Morgan Gannon (Leeds Rhinos), Haizyn Mellars (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
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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[Playdaball]

Would we look at Royce Hunt ?

Could be too big for Webby?

Has NZ connections ( family) - a replacement for Bunty / Ale … not sure if an upgrade

 

[Blain]

Looking at the Bunnies forum, they all speak highly of him. He's just had plenty of injuries through the last 3 years. They don't think they're winning the Kosi to Mellars trade.

Sounds like if he can stay on the park, he'll be a great signing. 3 years is a risk for us, but the powers think he's worth the gamble. Sounds good.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Looking at the Bunnies forum, they all speak highly of him. He's just had plenty of injuries through the last 3 years. They don't think they're winning the Kosi to Mellars trade.

Sounds like if he can stay on the park, he'll be a great signing. 3 years is a risk for us, but the powers think he's worth the gamble. Sounds good.

Amituanai goes down in order you think?

I dont think hes taken his oppertunity at cup level.

 

[Blain]

Would we look at Royce Hunt ?

Could be too big for Webby?

Has NZ connections ( family) - a replacement for Bunty / Ale … not sure if an upgrade

Problem is he sucks.

Good for a couple big hit ups, that's about it.

 

[Lance155]

Looking at the Bunnies forum, they all speak highly of him. He's just had plenty of injuries through the last 3 years. They don't think they're winning the Kosi to Mellars trade.

Sounds like if he can stay on the park, he'll be a great signing. 3 years is a risk for us, but the powers think he's worth the gamble. Sounds good.

If anyone thinks Kosi is a trade up I don't want the other player!

 

[Theking267]

Looking at the Bunnies forum, they all speak highly of him. He's just had plenty of injuries through the last 3 years. They don't think they're winning the Kosi to Mellars trade.

Sounds like if he can stay on the park, he'll be a great signing. 3 years is a risk for us, but the powers think he's worth the gamble. Sounds good.

They don’t seem to mind taking risks on players who have injury history’s after Metcalf’s success. Gannon and Linnane both signed after being out for a season now Mellars

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Looking at him as a Coates type? Big body, big frame?

 

[juju]

Thats a deep cut of a signing.

Might be going the model of having wingers on cheap deals once RTS and DWZ come off contract

 

[BlackToko88]

from the highlights he seems like a good athlete. Got some height maybe gives us an aerial option.

Probably means Daeon leaves or goes down? Havent seen too too much of him in cup.

 

[Ever Hopeful]

Whatever happens, I'm just glad that they are targeting that body shape for the wing. Like Frank said, I'd imagine they will try and get him to emulate Coates in the air. Seems strong too. If he is on a development deal then it looks like a good, low-risk signing. I'd be very surprised if it was in our top 30 with his lack of playing experience, but he is obviously talented if he made it in to the Rabbitohs top 30.

 

[Warriorsfan92]

So rabbits are coming dead last in nsw cup, 4 points behind the next worst. In other words, they’re terrible.

In this time, Haizyn has the following stats per game:

0.8 tries
120m
0.7 offloads
4.4 tackle breaks
6 tackles, 1 miss

Great stats for someone coming dead last, on the wing. Glaringly though he averages 2.6 errors a game. He’ll need to tidy this up if he’s any hope of making first grade. By contrast Kosi makes 2.5, DWZ 1.8 per game.

However at 6 foot 3, and 21 years old, he offers something our current crop does not - height. He’s the same height as Coates, so there’s no reason why he can’t be our Xavier after a few years. For mine, it’s the right type of risk & it’s a point of difference. At his age, and lack of experience he’s a pure project that wouldn’t have broken the bank to get him home.

I like it.

 

[kos]

Dad was a Warrior & mum was a pro basketballer. Good pedigree

I was just going to ask whether he was related to Vince.
Nice work CCEs!

 

[kos]

Zero tackle reports Tino to Catalans

No its his brother Iszac F.

 

[John Nick]

No its his brother Iszac F.

Yes mate my mistake

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

So rabbits are coming dead last in nsw cup, 4 points behind the next worst. In other words, they’re terrible.

In this time, Haizyn has the following stats per game:

0.8 tries
120m
0.7 offloads
4.4 tackle breaks
6 tackles, 1 miss

Great stats for someone coming dead last, on the wing. Glaringly though he averages 2.6 errors a game. He’ll need to tidy this up if he’s any hope of making first grade. By contrast Kosi makes 2.5, DWZ 1.8 per game.

However at 6 foot 3, and 21 years old, he offers something our current crop does not - height. He’s the same height as Coates, so there’s no reason why he can’t be our Xavier after a few years. For mine, it’s the right type of risk & it’s a point of difference. At his age, and lack of experience he’s a pure project that wouldn’t have broken the bank to get him home.

I like it.

2.6 errors, oh so he is a kosi replacement

 

[Completion Rate]

Classic Warriors winger philosophy - one power and one speed. (You can debate which is which out of the incumbents) hopefully this is Mellars and Amatuanai in the next year or so as the old men retire.

 

[Ever Hopeful]

Errors is a misleading stat as there are positive errors and negative errors. Too often Kosi's glaring errors were dropping the pill taking a hit up inside our 20. If the errors are competing and getting a finger tip on a bomb, then they are not concerning errors. An aerial player will always have a higher error rate.

 

[Tookey 2.0]

Probably means Daeon leaves or goes down? Havent seen too too much of him in cup.

Is Kali still considered a winger, or more of a centre/wing option?

Either way we've got a wing spot free at the end of 2026 and one at the end of 2027, with both DWZ and RTS a bit injury prone so it's likely that we'll need two wingers for first grade very soon.

 

[Warriorsfan92]

Errors is a misleading stat as there are positive errors and negative errors. Too often Kosi's glaring errors were dropping the pill taking a hit up inside our 20. If the errors are competing and getting a finger tip on a bomb, then they are not concerning errors. An aerial player will always have a higher error rate.

Fair point.

 

[steakncheese]

Looking at the Bunnies forum, they all speak highly of him. He's just had plenty of injuries through the last 3 years. They don't think they're winning the Kosi to Mellars trade.

Sounds like if he can stay on the park, he'll be a great signing. 3 years is a risk for us, but the powers think he's worth the gamble. Sounds good.

If he’s any where near as good as his old man and grand dad he’ll be an upgrade on Kosi 6ft4 and 100 kgs is Tupou size