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	-	✔	✔	✔
-	Braelan Marsh	-	?	?	?
-	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), Braelan Marsh (Redcliffe Dolphins), 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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[WAH MAN]

I get that, hes just in purgatory, dead man walking if you will. We need him to move over.

Hard on us and on him as he fills that roster spot without commanding a first grade spot regularly. We need more from him or get him to accept his role as is but contract wise it's a stink buzz. Titans want him? Sweetener for Lo-fi?

 

[kos]

That's Carl Webs son Carter-Ford that races up and takes the pass, Dam he is quick for a big fat prop.

Well done Cappy for spotting young PJs kid, his old man loved it over here.

PJ Marsh was the only Warriors signing that I knew about before the media and the public. Had to sit on that one and not post the big scoop.

Sup 42
Inside the Maurice Road HQ
Suspected this for a while

 

[Horriors2013]

View attachment 14467

Another son of a former Warrior signs

Braelan Marsh third son of a former Warrior on club’s roster next season after being signed up.

www.warriors.kiwi

Egan
Healey
Taufua
Marsh

4 good hookers.
Or are we losing Taufua?

 

[Noitall]

Egan
Healey
Taufua
Marsh

4 good hookers.
Or are we losing Taufua?

Auloa and Lussick too. Definitely losing 1 or 2

 

[Rick O’Shay]

Sup 42
Inside the Maurice Road HQ
Suspected this for a while

Spent many an hour at Robt Stone in Maurice Road. Still wish I had my car park lol

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Under 19s huh, then who the fuck is this unit!?

 

[Tookey 2.0]

View attachment 14472
Under 19s huh, then who the fuck is this unit!?

 

[Noitall]

View attachment 14472
Under 19s huh, then who the fuck is this unit!?

Have Warriors picked him up?

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Have Warriors picked him up?

No.

 

[nzwarriorsfaithful]

View attachment 14472
Under 19s huh, then who the fuck is this unit!?

Elijah Rasmussen maybe? He’s from Westlake Boys.

 

[sup42]

Egan
Healey
Taufua
Marsh

4 good hookers.
Or are we losing Taufua?

I don't think we lose any of them under Cappy's new strategy.

I have said this before, but earlier this year, like so many of us, I was trying to understand why McFadden was signing so many Australian juniors in the halves while we had four halves with experience already on our books in CHT, Metcalf, TMM, then they added Boyd, then Cleary, now Linane...then we have even younger Aussie kids log jamming the halves.

Then it hit me, an epiphany, heavenly choir and all....

It is not about signing them exclusively to be the NRL half back one day, the maths doesn't work. These kids won't even stick around that long, that would mean living in NZ for the youngest players for years.

So what is it about? it is about fixing the New Zealand League system and bringing it into line with the Australian standards so that the positions where we produce world class players on these shores like our stellar back row prospects get to play off half backs that know how to direct them, how to get them in an Australian School boy/post highschool standard in terms of understanding the complexities of Australian structure.

This model therefore ensures that our best Kiwi made players in all positions get directed around the park by organizers who can actually get them learning Webster ball at a much younger age than was possible before the McFadden era.

And it is not just about the learning side, with these high quality players in key positions the local big fast talented back rower can get to shine - get to produce their best, give the coaches an accurate early picture of whether they are the kid you want to continue on with, or not - had this system been in place during the time of Katoa and Papalii, then perhaps those players would still be here, because they wouldn't need to go off shore to be able to see their abilities in full.

Excuse the rant, but you can see how having hookers like Healy and Marsh will make a difference to players like Lennox Tuiloma and others in terms of making them better players, while making them easier to pick by the coaches since they can show their full ability with this Australian platform McFadden has created.

Therefore as it stands we may not actually be looking at cutting any of our young hookers.

 

[Playdaball]

Can we now release Lussick as another hooker has bene added to the club's roster?

 

[Cces]

Elijah Rasmussen maybe? He’s from Westlake Boys.

I think you're right. He's older than Marsh but Marsh played some U20s last month alongside Rasmussen in the NRLQ Series. He's Dolphins top 30 next year

 

[tajhay]

Elijah Rasmussen maybe? He’s from Westlake Boys.

Good pedigree. His dad(was friends with him at school) was a great all round athlete who ended up playing most of his union career in UK and represented Samoa too. Good to see his son go towards league

 

[Makasene]

He’s driven too and that’s what we need in our pursuit of our maiden premiership. Still an unknown and something out of everyone’s control is his injury history and the potential for more to arise that can’t be ignored. The article again mentions a long term deal

Something that was interesting was the way those who watched our games up close spoke about him.

Bryan Fletcher a number of times mentioned Metcalf had a way of instructing his players where to be and what to do in a positive way. When they messed it up, apparently he had a way of communicating with them about what's needed next time.

That's leadership. Sure, question marks remain about his ability to stay on the park, but his attributes mean we simply must take the punt.

Compared to the Berrysiah who if he were coming off contract, his attributes are not worth an extension while his durability questions remain.