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​
Luke Hanson	S​
Motu Pasikala	S​	U​
Caelys-Paul Putoko	S​
Jason Salalilo	S​	U​	U​
Makaia Taufa	S​	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: 6/6

2027 Top 30: 23/30
2027 Supplementary: 0/6

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

Off contract and free to sign elsewhere for 2027: Rocco Berry, Kurt Capewell, 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, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Sam Healey, Eddie Ieremia-Toeava, Ali Leiataua, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Motu Pasikala, Adam Pompey, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak

 

[CWC]

I reckon Boyd would be in a similar boat to Fogarty so within the 550-650k range. Not quite at that big money level yet. Thats not to say other clubs wouldnt offer him 750k+

Give him 700K with options to upgrade based on performances if he’s playing like a million dollar man

TMM is a goner anyway so good it’s possibly one of him or CHT let go, it will be TMM

 

[The Undertaker]

I guess KP isn’t coming…

Kalyn Ponga signs landmark contract extension

Club Captain extends his contract in statement of belief in the Knights direction.

www.newcastleknights.com.au

 

[Tookey 2.0]

He might just go for a 2 year deal. When he is off that he will hopefully be a premiership winning half back and only 28. He would then get a very good long term offer.

Thats what I was thinking.

Hell get better offers for sure, but imo the options are:

A. Sign with Dragons or similar, for more money - $800k for 3 years.
More money, but you look worse as a player, so your next contract is lower. Or
B. Sign with Wahs for 2 yrs at $650k. Play behind a pack that will dominate for the next 2 years, and push for a premiership. Will then be able to finish up with a 4 yr contract on $7-900k depending how he goes.

No brainer for me

 

[sydneywarrior92]

I say we keep Tannah, Mets, CHT and punt TMM. Any premiership contending side needs a controlling half like Tannah. We need him and I think it is much better for his career to be playing behind a dominant pack like ours than a struggling one in NSW (ie Dragons) that is years away from a premiership. TMM is surplus to our needs.

 

[Billyspleen75]

Could Niukore be getting an immediate release? He is not lining up in Cup. He would slot straight into the Knights side at the moment

Assuming he is, that's $400k or so freed up for this season.
That could be enough of a sweetener for CHT and Boyd to both sign on.
We have enough depth with TSS/EIT/Gannon and Fatialofa who can cover middle and edge

 

[Wahs_Ultras]

According to fox leauge the warriors have opened contract negotiations with Tanah Boyd and that his preference is to remain at the club. This likely means CHT will not be extended according to the report.

 

[roguei]

According to fox leauge the warriors have opened contract negotiations with Tanah Boyd and that his preference is to remain at the club. This likely means CHT will not be extended according to the report.

Surely not. CHT was a big reason we got to 2nd last year before metcalf went down. And is now a huge reason why we are 2nd now. I'd argue he is the one we should be looking to resign the most.

 

[Noitall]

According to fox leauge the warriors have opened contract negotiations with Tanah Boyd and that his preference is to remain at the club. This likely means CHT will not be extended according to the report.

Interesting conundrum. Does that mean Boyd with Metcalf at five eighth if CHT is surplus to requirements or Boyd to extend in a shootout with Metcalf for halfback?

 

[Wahs_Ultras]

Interesting conundrum. Does that mean Boyd with Metcalf at five eighth if CHT is surplus to requirements or Boyd to extend in a shootout with Metcalf for halfback?

CHT has been a great clubman so if we extend Tanah, I’m curious if he takes unders to stay or chases the money he deserves.

 

[CWC]

Funny if we are getting first crack ie box seat to extend Boyd it puts more pressure on Metcalf than CHT, aussies think we can only choose 1, they don’t even know TMM is on the outer playing cup or utility

 

[Leon Black]

We can’t afford to lose Chanel Harris-Tavita, when he’s at 6, the others shine. Feels like he might go. Te Maire Martin is surplus now. Curious how Luke Metcalf would go at 1, not huge metres, but adds skill and ball-playing. Taine Tuapiki is seriously underrated defensively. Good headaches to have

 

[Billyspleen75]

According to fox leauge the warriors have opened contract negotiations with Tanah Boyd and that his preference is to remain at the club. This likely means CHT will not be extended according to the report.

"If extended, that means it is highly likely that either Chanel Harris-Tavita or Te Maire Martin will be pushed out of the club due to them having a plethora of halves on their books such as Luke Metcalf, Luke Hanson, Jye Linnane and Jett Cleary"

I read that as CHT or TMM, not that signing Boyd likely means CHT will not be extended

 

[Warriors4eva95]

Could Niukore be getting an immediate release? He is not lining up in Cup. He would slot straight into the Knights side at the moment

According to Knights Forum, Niukore will not be getting an early release as they don't have the money to match us..

This was off the marathon stadium website
The Knights apparently can’t afford him this year even if the Warriors were to let him. They’d have to release some on more money than Schiller

These guys aye thinking we'd even take him in the first place

 

[FormerlyJamesW]

Interesting conundrum. Does that mean Boyd with Metcalf at five eighth if CHT is surplus to requirements or Boyd to extend in a shootout with Metcalf for halfback?

If Metcalf is the long term 6, CHT would be even more crucial to resign.

There's a pretty good chance he'd be playing at least half a season a year.

 

[Tookey 2.0]

Kalyn Ponga off the table, has signed a 3 year extension with the Knights

 

[JaggedJ]

Ponga is this generations Matai.

 

[timburgesstheonlyoneiknow]

3 Confirmed departures and 2 signed already.

I suspect the list of departures will increased.

Will Capewell be resigned at the most i think 12 month deal only. This could depend on Gannon progression and others in NSW Cup.

Berry. Injury record doesn't bode well for him. Maybe a fresh environment is needed for him or resigned only on a basic deal. As is suspect he wil be 2nd choice only.

Boyd and CHT. Out of the two CHT is a must given Metcalfe preferred position is 7. I like Boyd but with Metcalfe on the books we can only have one marquee number 7 and CHT is proven at 6 and has versilitiy.

TMM he could be unlucky and be squeezed out. Injuries dont help but Hanson could take this role in the club.

CNK.....is father time catching up with him. Iove his effort and committed style of play but he is starting to pick up to many niggles and with TT looking more like a NRL first grade player maybe it is time to move him on.

It like a game of chess. All what I know i wouldn't want to be finishing this puzzle for next year and beyond.

The future looks good for the club. Especially with the talent coming through.

 

[Wahs_Ultras]

‘At a crossroads’: Star linked to bombshell NRL return... but not to the Roosters — Whispers

‘At a crossroads’: Star linked to bombshell NRL return... but not to the Roosters — Whispers

www.foxsports.com.au

 

[Wahs_Ultras]

Manu to the chiefs? Surely not. If he’s looking at a return for the 2028 season surely we would be monitoring that

 

[Shauns_Johnson]

Guys I love the speculation but there's just no world in which the Warriors sign three halves on starting halves' salary. It's a really poor use of the cap and wastes decent coin that can go to big upgrades in less well paid positions, or to spread to keep our homegrown talent around longer. No clubs do this, unless there's a clear way in which one of the halves can play elsewhere.

So it's two out of the three. I don't really see them jettisoning Metcalf after one year into three (assuming there are offers he'd accept elsewhere) so with the other renewals needed this season (and they'll both want multiyear deal security given their form) it's one of Tanah or CHT.

What the best sides do is bridge this by having a young guy with upside on a multi-year deal, or a cheaper half who wants a year in a good system before having a crack at starting again elsewhere on better coin (like Scheider, SOS, Cogger at Penrith over the years; Madden at Brisbane; arguably even Boyd signing for us). Ultimately I think the Linnane signing was intended to secure us in advance against this instance we knew we were facing, with Jett, Hanson and Thompson also in the mix down the track. Maybe there will be an unders halves signing if Linnane doesn't quite make the grade (we were pretty quick at moving on the likes of Keighran/Volkman/Asi once we had a look at them and deemed them not up to first grade).

Any chat about keeping all of CHT/Met/Boyd is basically nice thinking but won't actually happen in a world where the comp has a salary cap