Recruitment Warriors 2026/2027 Recruitment & Retention

Warriors 2026/2027 Recruitment and Retention Discussion​

Player	2026​	2027​	2028​	2029​	2030​
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	✔​	✔​	✔​
Freddy Lussick	✔​
Te Maire Martin	✔​
Haizyn Mellars	✔​	✔​	✔​
Luke Metcalf	✔​	✔​	✔​
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	✔​	✔​
Marata Niukore	✔​
Adam Pompey	✔​	✔​
Tanner Stowers-Smith	✔​	✔​	✔​
Taine Tuaupiki	✔​
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	✔​
Demitric Vaimauga	✔​	✔​	✔​
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak	✔​	✔​
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: 30/30
2026 Supplementary: 1/6

2027 Top 30: 21/30
2027 Supplementary: 0/6

2027 Gains: Nil
2027 Losses: Nil

Off contract and free to sign elsewhere for 2027: Rocco Berry, Tanah Boyd, Kurt Capewell, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Freddy Lussick, Te Maire Martin, Marata Niukore, Taine Tuaupiki, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
Will be off contract and free to sign elsewhere for 2028 from November 1st, 2026: Mitchell Barnett, Erin Clark, 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

 

[CWC]

The Warriors have played the ultimate poker face. Now we get NAS cheap. He has taken on our usual story line, come home to win our first GF. Our big bopper now sorted ha ha.. Now we just need some speed and flair.

His wife better not be into brownies

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Yeah there is no way it was a clean release. I reckon he got paid some form of compensation to leave to get early release or be stuck in reserve grade.

I can see storm coughing up 500k over the two years to gain 1.2m salary cap space.

I could see them coughing up $1.5m. That's still a saving of $300k and a top 30 spot.

 

[RobRoyMcCoy]

Theoretically that means we can negotiate with him at whatever value we see from him and offer him the bonus of coming home to NZ (if indeed he views it as such). Personally for a low vlaue contract he would offer us something that we don't currently possess and he has proven to be a point of difference even for the mighty Storm on numerous occassions.

Cappy may see it as a good punt from a risk/reward perspective if the value is right. Do we have a spot in the roster?

 

[Christchurch_Warrior]

I would suspect a third party has helped NAS make this call. Fucking Melbourne has so much history with the salary cap rorting this is hardly a surprise.

 

[Naynay]

Might crashout if they annouce a NAS signing

 

[3rdstriker]

That's the way I read it. The storm have not paid him out. He has "voluntarily" asked for a release with air quotes around voluntarily

The Article reads like that but behind closed doors the storm probably squeezed Nas out.

 

[3rdstriker]

The Warriors have played the ultimate poker face. Now we get NAS cheap. He has taken on our usual story line, come home to win our first GF. Our big bopper now sorted ha ha.. Now we just need some speed and flair.

NAS isnt what we need, he would be surplus to requirements atm.

 

[Leon Black]

How the fuck do the Storm get away with “his departure opens up a significant portion of salary cap space to utilise elsewhere.”

Every man and his dog come to Melbourne for less to play under Bellyache, FFS, we aren’t all wearing tin foil hats

Probably downgraded from Boats to Jetskis in the garage, one per every family member, whilst all we can offer is free Wendy’s!!!

 

[Leon Black]

Dean Ieremia suffers achilles injury

Scans have confirmed Storm winger Dean Ieremia has suffered an achilles rupture.

www.melbournestorm.com.au

I see Dean Ieremia, EIT half brother is on the lookout for a new club

Magically released with 2 years remaining “his departure opens up a significant portion of salary cap space to utilise elsewhere.”- I don’t know if he had any years left for all you trainspotters

 

[Noitall]

Magically released with 2 years remaining “his departure opens up a significant portion of salary cap space to utilise elsewhere.”- I don’t know if he had any years left for all you trainspotters

This one off contract

 

[cock_o]

Even if we sign NAS and he is always suspended, then he can't destroy us every time we play Melbourne

 

[Leon Black]

This one off contract

You had too didn’t you

 

[Leon Black]

Every time NAS played at Mt Smart he was unstoppable — same intensity he showed in Bali after that Vunivalu scrap.

We’ve got plenty of same-sized forwards with similar skill sets, but none built like him. Worth the gamble — we’ve taken on worse (BMM, Kane Evans, etc.).

Back home, mentoring young guns, with the CKB crew, and motivated to prove Bellyache wrong — feels like a guy ready to turn it around. Bishop’s still a year off.

Barney would be perfect for him — locked in, disciplined, and playing career-best footy in his later years.

Or he gets stuck into one too many Baconators

 

[Five&Last]

Thats why I think hes better suited to the backrow, hes quick for a forward.

But then he'd be asked to play even larger minutes.

His lateral movements would be stretched even more. Him defending that much space worries me.

I see your point because he could be damaging running a hole with his speed, but i think his weaknesses would be exposed further.

Plus I'd rather a second rower who has a step or footwork and can create a half line-break that way or quick PTB, as opposed to someone charging a million miles an hour at a defensive line.

 

[Five&Last]

we’ve taken on worse (BMM, Kane Evans, etc.).

This is a cop out haha

I'd like to think we're a different organisation now

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

Barnett and Walker were hot heads that Webby molded into intensity.

NAS has that aggression that if channeled right, could make him a real game changing weapon.

Imagine Barnett going off and NAS replacing him with the same ‘take no prisoners’ intensity

 

[tajhay]

Wouldnt the NAS release suggest that he is going to join R360 after the 2026 season? Theorising here, but suspect he asked for release from 2027 to join R360 at the end of 2026 season, and storm said you can go early. I suspect he will be joining a team for a 1 year deal only.

Wonder what min value the nrl salary cap auditors place on him.

 

[JaggedJ]

Nobody "walks away" from money on the table unless they have the same or more waiting for them elsewhere.

Considering no NRL club wanted him at his Storm pricetag it feels like R360 $$$$.

 

[Noitall]

• Today at 7:15 PM
• 
  
• #7,589

Big Nelson parts way with Storm, I won’t be surprised if Storm take one of our props, I know we supposedly gave BHU permission to look around but I also think Bellamy would choose him over all our middles besides AFB anyway.

Rumour is he will go to the wahs for a season then aim to join Perth Bears.

Other rumour is he will join r360 on a 2 year deal.






Saw this on sharks forum

 

[Sammyw]

Nelson’s profile is so unique and something we lack. Would love him off the bench for 15 min stints: still has it in him to dominate packs. Look at how the broncs use Willison, he can do something similar for us.