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

 

[John Nick]

It's such a tough call, because the whole team is playing far better than this time last year.

Was the preseason just that much better? Is the playing group a bit more settled?

What part has Tanah had in this?

Personally, I think that Metcalf had a lot more on his shoulders than he would have with this year's playing group.

But maybe this playing group is responding well with Tanahs play style, as it's better suited to their own?

I honestly don't know.

I think the entire team has bought into the culture this season. Fitness is up and everyone is turning up for each other
This has been showing in the scrambling defense of the 2 games so far

 

[Tookey 2.0]

I dunno, with LM being injury prone id be pretty concerned if the club got rid of TMM, Boyd and CHT all at the end of 2026.

That's a lot of experience in the halves gone, and replaced with essentially 0 experience.

Add in to that, the likelihood that RTS, Marata, Capewell and maybe Dallin leaving - thats a shit load of experience gone. I cant see it personally.

At worst, Chanel has value as a utility and can play other positions, and if other players were to get injured, he slots in to half easy. On top of that he was a top 4 stand off last year. 500k for 2 years imo. Helps bridge the gap for the younger fullas.

Boyd - tbh id give him another year to also help bridge the gap. He's likely going to have to play reserve grade for a good portion of the year until someone gets injured, or could even sit on the extended bench and if at half time the game plans not working and we want to switch something up, maybe give him the 2nd half. The 19 man bench is still so new we dont know how it will play out. Id give him 400k for 1 year - likely his highest salary and he gets to stay an extra year and essentially be the back up to an injury prone 7, likely in our biggest chance of a premiership in 2027? Seems like a no brainer on his end.

So that means next year we pay 800k for a back up half (Tanah), and are starting half (CHT) who will likely be phased out by the end of 2027.

Honestly, not the worst insurance policy ive seen. I feel we can go deep into finals this year with 2 of Metcalf, CHT, and Boyd. Can we say the same if both of them are not here? Probably not imo

 

[borgy]

Theres noise that Barney could be replaced by Antonio Verhoven from the Broncs... in the replacement clause of the deal..

 

[Ever Hopeful]

The thing we really need to see is what Linnane can offer us injury free. That's a big piece of missing information at the moment in regard to future contract decisions.

It's nice to see Boyd have some confidence boosting performances. Mid-season when the injuries have had an effect, when teams have balanced out their performance and when the grind has added fatigue is when to really see where a player is at. It would be great to keep Boyd and CHT as one of our 3-4 halfs, but the club will need to be prudent with their decision making.

 

[FormerlyJamesW]

Everyone just instantly memory holed Boyds season last year

A little unfair to totally throw that on him.

Metcalf bailed us out of ALOT of close games, through individual brilliance.

 

[Worriers]

Theres noise that Barney could be replaced by Antonio Verhoven from the Broncs... in the replacement clause of the deal..

More noise then all the noise on here I’m hoping. Would create some logjam in first grade untested outside backs for us

 

[Jaffa J]

If he can keep performing until round 7 it will be a season defining choice for Webster…

Tough choice if we’re 5-2 in that period I wouldn’t be rushing Metcalf back just keep him in reserve grade to get his fitness back but then it’s puts unnecessary pressure on Tanah knowing he could get dropped if he plays bad lucky we aren’t coaches

 

[MrFrankWhite]

I dunno, with LM being injury prone id be pretty concerned if the club got rid of TMM, Boyd and CHT all at the end of 2026.

That's a lot of experience in the halves gone, and replaced with essentially 0 experience.

Add in to that, the likelihood that RTS, Marata, Capewell and maybe Dallin leaving - thats a shit load of experience gone. I cant see it personally.

At worst, Chanel has value as a utility and can play other positions, and if other players were to get injured, he slots in to half easy. On top of that he was a top 4 stand off last year. 500k for 2 years imo. Helps bridge the gap for the younger fullas.

Boyd - tbh id give him another year to also help bridge the gap. He's likely going to have to play reserve grade for a good portion of the year until someone gets injured, or could even sit on the extended bench and if at half time the game plans not working and we want to switch something up, maybe give him the 2nd half. The 19 man bench is still so new we dont know how it will play out. Id give him 400k for 1 year - likely his highest salary and he gets to stay an extra year and essentially be the back up to an injury prone 7, likely in our biggest chance of a premiership in 2027? Seems like a no brainer on his end.

So that means next year we pay 800k for a back up half (Tanah), and are starting half (CHT) who will likely be phased out by the end of 2027.

Honestly, not the worst insurance policy ive seen. I feel we can go deep into finals this year with 2 of Metcalf, CHT, and Boyd. Can we say the same if both of them are not here? Probably not imo

All good and well thinking players will sign for your ceiling and not theirs, but reality is a bit different.

Whats your plan if CHT can get 500k/y for 2 years at another club and Boyd can get 650k/y for 3?

 

[MrFrankWhite]

A little unfair to totally throw that on him.

Throw what on him? His own performance?

 

[Cces]

I don't see how a medium-long term combo of Boyd/Metcalf would work defensively. Boyd tackled at 72% last night, on his preferred side, & whoever you play on the left will then break up the 2025's competitions best defensive edge

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Broncos are 0-2. If I was them, I’d be putting a sneaky call into Boyd’s manager. Duffy is only signed for 1 year so not sure they see him as the future.

 

[FormerlyJamesW]

Throw what on him? His own performance?

I think you're glossing over just how much our attacking structures relied on Metcalf to pull something out of his ass.

We were so far off the top teams (Storm, Raiders..etc) as a whole.

Honestly, go back and have a look.

Imagine thinking a $120k/year backup is going to fill the shoes of a $1m(allegedly)/ Dally M contender.

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

I don't see how a medium-long term combo of Boyd/Metcalf would work defensively. Boyd tackled at 72% last night, on his preferred side, & whoever you play on the left will then break up the 2025's competitions best defensive edge

Defence isn’t as important as balance…smashing the defending minor premiers with 34 points on attack and only 6 in defence means if we keep this balance going… we appear to be doing something right.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

I think you're glossing over just how much our attacking structures relied on Metcalf to pull something out of his ass.

We were so far off the top teams (Storm, Raiders..etc) as a whole.

Honestly, go back and have a look.

Imagine thinking a $120k/year backup is going to fill the shoes of a $1m(allegedly)/ Dally M contender.

If the argument is the team around the halfback is so much better this year, then we will go even harder when Metcalf returns.

 

[rugged]

we seem to have a harder edge this year around attitude. Boyd and Metcalf could def compliment each other and if that’s the best combo it should happen regardless of ego.

DCE is wearing 6 so Lukey Met can humble himself and play 6.

Boyd still has to bring it for a few more weeks to make this a reality.

 

[Dannevegas]

We arent playing 2x 7s and Metcalf isnt going to revert to playing 6..

Boyd is gone. He's too good to play Cup and we just made out big play for our 7. The question is who plays 6 next to him

Metcalf will have to suck it up and do what’s best for the club (this is if Boyd keeps this up). we took him out of NSW cup and turned him into one of the games best halves as of last year, I’m sure he’ll be happy playing 6 in a top 4 team close 1 milly a year.

This is the halves pairing we’ve been waiting for both awesome kicking games as well

 

[Dannevegas]

Do we even need outside back compensation, Norris and Kali killed it in fleg today, Akp and Mellars going good as well. Surely if we’re getting a back we’re getting one who will automatically start in the backline. Is Antonio Verhoeven that good?

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Metcalf will have to suck it up and do what’s best for the club (this is if Boyd keeps this up). we took him out of NSW cup and turned him into one of the games best halves as of last year, I’m sure he’ll be happy playing 6 in a top 4 team close 1 milly a year.

This is the halves pairing we’ve been waiting for both awesome kicking games as well

Boyd is unsigned next year. Instead of re-signing him, we have gone out and signed other halves. This is on top of committing to Metcalf as our long term 7, less than six months ago.

At some point you have to allow a little reality into the conversation.

 

[FormerlyJamesW]

If the argument is the team around the halfback is so much better this year, then we will go even harder when Metcalf returns.

I'm currently having the same conversation across two threads, so I'll just switch to this one as it's the most relevant.

The short answer is; we don't know.

Logically, Metcalf will perform better. That's why we will be paying him the big bucks soon.

But there's always the possibility that Metcalf holds the ball for 0.1 of a second longer or takes 0.2 seconds longer to make a decision and Tanah is looking like he fits better.

Player synergy is a fickle thing to balance.

We'll find all this out when Lukey Met comes back.

 

[Dannevegas]

Boyd is unsigned next year. Instead of re-signing him, we have gone out and signed other halves. This is on top of committing to Metcalf as our long term 7, less than six months ago.

At some point you have to allow a little reality into the conversation.

The reality is Boyd is playing Like Andrew John’s right now lol, and Metcalf is the perfect 6.

but ye i guess we’ll see still have Linnane to come who will also be a weapon at 6, Maybe him and Metcalf is the answer?