Recruitment Warriors 2026/2027 Recruitment & Retention

Warriors 2026/2027 Recruitment and Retention Discussion​

Player	2026​	2027​	2028​	2029​	2030​
Grant Anderson	-​	✔​	✔​	✔​
Mitchell Barnett	✔​	​
Rocco Berry	✔​
Tanah Boyd	✔​
Kurt Capewell	✔​
Erin Clark	✔​	✔​	✔​	✔​
Wayde Egan	✔​	✔​
Kayliss Fatialofa	✔​	✔​
James Fisher-Harris	✔​	✔​	✔​
Jackson Ford	✔​	✔​
Morgan Gannon	✔​	✔​	✔​
Leka Halasima	✔​	✔​	✔​	✔​
Chanel Harris-Tavita	✔​
Sam Healey	✔​	✔​
Eddie Ieremia-Toeava	✔​	✔​	✔​
Alofiana Khan-Pereira	✔​	✔​	✔​
Jacob Laban	✔​	✔​	✔​	✔​
Ali Leiataua	✔​	✔​
Jye Linnane	✔​	✔​	✔​
Te Maire Martin	✔​
Haizyn Mellars	✔​	✔​	✔​
Luke Metcalf	✔​	✔​	✔​
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	✔​	✔​
Marata Niukore	✔​
Adam Pompey	✔​	✔​
Tanner Stowers-Smith	✔​	✔​	✔​
Taine Tuaupiki	✔​	✔​	✔​
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	✔​
Demitric Vaimauga	✔​	✔​	✔​
William Warbrick	-​	✔​	✔​	✔​
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak	✔​	M​
Connor Bowden	U​	U​	✔​
Jett Cleary	S​	U​
Sio Kali	U​
Braelan Marsh	U​	U​	U​
Motu Pasikala	U​	U​

✔ = Signed to Top 30, C = Club option, M = Mutual Option, P = Player option, S = Signed to supplementary list, U = Unclear

2026 Top 30: 29/30
2026 Supplementary: 2/6

2027 Top 30: 22/30
2027 Supplementary: 0/6

2027 Gains: Grant Anderson (Brisbane Broncos), William Warbrick (Melbourne Storm)
2027 Losses: Mitchell Barnett (Brisbane Broncos), Marata Niukore (Newcastle Knights), Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (Wakefield Trinity)

Off contract and free to sign elsewhere for 2027: Rocco Berry, Tanah Boyd, Kurt Capewell, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Te Maire Martin
Will be off contract and free to sign elsewhere for 2028 from November 1st, 2026: Jett Cleary, Wayde Egan, Kayliss Fatialofa, Jackson Ford, Sam Healey, Eddie Ieremia-Toeava, Ali Leiataua, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Motu Pasikala, Adam Pompey, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak

 

[Defence]

I love Barney- been a fan since pre warriors days but… he’s 32 next month and coming off an acl- I wouldnt be expecting too much of him this year- do we even know when he’s back?
A trade for lomax would be good business imho.
(Although I agree highly unlikely).

 

[tajhay]

https://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/eels-mull-over-zac-lomax-player-swap-in-attempt-to-sign-state-of-origin-star/news-story/611a978307376dec6b9a3f177533f702

No direct quotes so journo could just be rehashing 1 + 1 to get 3 to meet his article quota for the week.

 

[sydneywarrior92]

I love Barney- been a fan since pre warriors days but… he’s 32 next month and coming off an acl- I wouldnt be expecting too much of him this year- do we even know when he’s back?
A trade for lomax would be good business imho.
(Although I agree highly unlikely).

imo it's not about his direct impact on the field. It's about his indirect impact on the younger forwards coming through. It's also why JFH is so valuable to us even though he only makes barely 100+ meters per game for us and when he was at Penrith. Barney is the same way- only really averages about 130m per game. His real value comes from the fact that they are modern-day Kevin Campions.

You can see it from the interviews that Barney is a spiritual leader for the young bucks like Laban, Demi and co. When he is on the field, they all go to another level. That's why he'd be invaluable to a younger side like Parra or Manly who have some good forwards coming through but no real forward leader. That positive externality effect is where his market value comes from imho. So getting Barney has real value for these Aussie clubs, not akin to taking the short end of the stick in any trade.

 

[Makasene]

KP if he was indeed released by Newy to move to us (hypothetically) is a captaincy option alongside fish.

Disagree entirely.

KP is not a leader, no slight on him, he just isn't (and doesn't want to be).

He just wants the ball. He'd go well with us because with JFH, Egan, Clark, Ford, Capewell (if here 2027) he doesn't need to be a leader, just a killer.

 

[Makasene]

Not sure if you'd want a player with his track record of leaving clubs.

2 year deal

26 and 27

He'd see that out. And then piss off to R360

 

[Five&Last]

I can see a Lomax swap happening as a last resort. If we still haven't found a deal we like its getting towards the end of the year.

Even similar to the Pezet situation where he signs a 1 year deal with us for 2027 and simultaneously signs for 2028 onwards with an Australian based club.

We could get him at a massive discount for that year given the situation.

Say what you want about his professionalism off the field, he would be a massive upgrade on our current wing options.

 

[Warriors4lyfe]

Not keen on Lomax. I doubt he wants to come to the warriors and will only come here cause he has no other options and will leave when the next best thing comes along.

 

[Bevosa]

Do we have the cap space and top 30 spot to get Lomax in 26 and still not release Barney until 27?

 

[FormerlyJamesW]

KP is not a leader, no slight on him, he just isn't (and doesn't want to be).

100% agree.

Similar to SJ, it's far more beneficial to leave them to their positional roles and x factor plays.

 

[Five&Last]

Not keen on Lomax. I doubt he wants to come to the warriors and will only come here cause he has no other options and will leave when the next best thing comes along.

Eels control which team he goes to until 2028.

If he wants to play NRL he will come here.

If he leaves in 2028, who cares.

We got a year out of a state of origin winger for a player who was leaving anyway.

We have no leverage to be demanding quality under contract players.

 

[Blain]

Disagree entirely.

KP is not a leader, no slight on him, he just isn't (and doesn't want to be).

He just wants the ball. He'd go well with us because with JFH, Egan, Clark, Ford, Capewell (if here 2027) he doesn't need to be a leader, just a killer.

Agreed, his leadership is terrible. Look at the way he drops his lip in press conferences, and is consistently looking for a way out of the club. Not a guy I would want leading my club. Has been the biggest issue at the club IMO. Just let the dude play with a clear mind, and you'll get the best out of him.

 

[JustLikeStartingOver]

Lomax is the absolute textbook of an andy and andy winger, takes a million quality hit ups, big time aerial target on the last tackle.

If you squint that’s what Haizyn Mellers is, rangy youth who seems enthusiastic to take a lot of runs – but he didn’t seem very quick in the trials, maybe too much nervous energy going to the wrong places, anyway 3 wingers ahead of him this year so isn’t going to play much.

If you could get him to behave himself for one year (2027) and not sook about the location, or lack of money, or not playing centre, or whatever it is he’s always sooking about, then you can thank Roger for his service, chase Dallin off to super league for his last contract, it fills in the experience gap in the outside backs, and you still have Khan and Mellers as well, Barney gets to go to a decent team (if middle west Sydney is on his shopping list) it kind of is win, win, win all the way around.

But the player has to agree, and as the year goes along there may be another team that offer the eels something right now, its just so much easier for the Sydney teams to shuffle players around as the players don’t even need to move house.

 

[Defence]

imo it's not about his direct impact on the field. It's about his indirect impact on the younger forwards coming through. It's also why JFH is so valuable to us even though he only makes barely 100+ meters per game for us and when he was at Penrith. Barney is the same way- only really averages about 130m per game. His real value comes from the fact that they are modern-day Kevin Campions.

You can see it from the interviews that Barney is a spiritual leader for the young bucks like Laban, Demi and co. When he is on the field, they all go to another level. That's why he'd be invaluable to a younger side like Parra or Manly who have some good forwards coming through but no real forward leader. That positive externality effect is where his market value comes from imho. So getting Barney has real value for these Aussie clubs, not akin to taking the short end of the stick in any trade.

Yeah I get that but I take a look at our round one team and my first thought isn’t - oh no we’re missing a prop- it’s- where are the points gonna come from?
Lomax is one of the most prolific point scorers in the game.

 

[Muddogz]

Ideally Barnett signs with Eels for 27 and we get Lomax immediately. A swap in 27 would be ok too. Lomax is a head case but his options are currently very limited. He’s also a very good footballer who can goal kick and play a range of positions. There’s a reason Bellamy and the Storm tried so hard to get him.

I think we need Barnett for this year though. Our props need a bit more time to develop and he’s a great leader. He’ll be a loss regardless but I think we’ll be in a better position to absorb it next year.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

I can see a Lomax swap happening as a last resort. If we still haven't found a deal we like its getting towards the end of the year.

Even similar to the Pezet situation where he signs a 1 year deal with us for 2027 and simultaneously signs for 2028 onwards with an Australian based club.

We could get him at a massive discount for that year given the situation.

Say what you want about his professionalism off the field, he would be a massive upgrade on our current wing options.

I would even say to parra that they have to take Zelezniak. (Dallin Watene Lussick)

 

[WAH MAN]

Yeah I get that but I take a look at our round one team and my first thought isn’t - oh no we’re missing a prop- it’s- where are the points gonna come from?
Lomax is one of the most prolific point scorers in the game.

Points will come from Chitty and Tanah having runners running lines that force defenders to choose lower odds tackle options.

Also from aerial contests. Leka Laban Dallin Eddie Ieremia Toeava but not Taine.

Points will come from using Leka as a focal point to draw numbers away from target runners or to draw tacklers in numbers and generate super quick ruck speed.

Points will come from Demetric being a tough guy with a step and passing game in the middle.

Points will come from ball playing on top of front foot ball.

And the odd cheeky drop kicks.

 

[Ferdie]

I'm all in for a 2 years of Lomax swap for 1 year of Barnett exchange.
Ie. We get Lomax for both 26 and 27, and the Eels get Barnett for 27. We could even pitch it to Lomax that he'll get to play centre - because we rarely have 2 other centres available.

 

[kos]

The Bris rl media are all over Mitch joking the Broncos
Ya know
Ah
The Madge SOO Barnett link

 

[kos]

Joining of course
Not joking
Not joking

 

[WAH MAN]

The Bris rl media are all over Mitch joking the Broncos
Ya know
Ah
The Madge SOO Barnett link

I would let Barney go if he's ready. For his family reasons etc. If we could get a good exchange rate that would be great. Otherwise we might have to get greater good credits for use later on in life