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	✔​	✔​	✔​
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	✔​	✔​
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: 20/30
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

 

[Makasene]

check in with crosby & see wtf he did between 13 + 14 lol.

...of course, that may involve going through puberty again. Luck w that


View: https://www.instagram.com/p/DOz-UZdEn9g/?hl=en

This right here is an interesting one to me.

I know many guys like this, some were very close friends at different stages.

They obsess over their body and image. It's not a trait I've ever seen work well in a team environment.

 

[Makasene]

could Halasima be a strike centre?

We saw in our final game that given oodles of space he was unable to sum it up.

We've also seen countless times his damaging running ability outwide.

Honestly, I think as a centre there would be not much attacking difference between Koni and Leka. Rampaging runs and a bunch of lowlights when it comes to trying to put a winger away.

Leka as an edge in that middle third is a threat everywhere, so many tries off kicks, big runs in space, slicing through contact off a block. Think he needs to stick to the edge.

 

[Brightman]

This right here is an interesting one to me.

I know many guys like this, some were very close friends at different stages.

They obsess over their body and image. It's not a trait I've ever seen work well in a team environment.

Doesn't bode well for Crosby then given Critter, Luai and Kikau all "left" the Panthers..

 

[JaggedJ]

Just while I see you still there, I miss your posts about messiah Rocco Berry, is he going to earn an extension do you reckon?

Hard to post about someone who is almost never around. Seems to have taken the Berrysiah thing to far - we don't need multiple ressurections per season.

As for an extension - I think we've seen that if/when he's healthy he finds himself in the side very quickly. If he can stay on the field then he probably does.

A lot will depend on the progress of those below him as well as his ability to stay healthy.

 

[Noitall]

Hard to post about someone who is almost never around. Seems to have taken the Berrysiah thing to far - we don't need multiple ressurections per season.

As for an extension - I think we've seen that if/when he's healthy he finds himself in the side very quickly. If he can stay on the field then he probably does.

A lot will depend on the progress of those below him as well as his ability to stay healthy.

It took me to start the Pompey fan club when my guy was copping criticism, different though as you point out that staying injury free is Berry’s main issue. He certainly garnered a cult following and I really hope he can manage to string a heap of games together to get an extension and he has luck on the injury front from here on out because I think he’s our first picked centre on the right when healthy. Of our centres in the top 30 there’s Berry, Pompey and Leiataua and RTS listed as one from his return in 2024 that hasn’t been updated yet on their site. I really like Leiataua see strike in him when he can put it together and the addition of AKP is interesting as to some options for 2026? They could have another go at RTS at centre, which would be silly in my view, or play CNK at centre and Tuaupiki fullback? That scenario doesn’t create a place for AKP though. Putoko is an interesting prospect if centre is where they see him? Don’t think he’d be on anything more than a development contract in 2026 though

 

[sup42]

If there was a vote on which 2nd rower to convert to a centre for 26, for me it would be EIT all the way.

How so? why EIT especially? is your reasoning to do with EIT being better suited to center or to do with a view that Leka staying where he is is better for the team?

We saw in our final game that given oodles of space he was unable to sum it up.

We've also seen countless times his damaging running ability outwide.

Honestly, I think as a centre there would be not much attacking difference between Koni and Leka. Rampaging runs and a bunch of lowlights when it comes to trying to put a winger away.

Leka as an edge in that middle third is a threat everywhere, so many tries off kicks, big runs in space, slicing through contact off a block. Think he needs to stick to the edge.

While agree with this 100% for today regarding Leka vs Konrad for lack of ball playing, I don't think this view applies to the future (hey that is my opinion and it is hypothetical).

Konrad was unteachable. Leka can't be fairly lumped in the same category.

We know Leka is not lazy - huge difference with the Konrad's ceiling as a player which plateaued at "loves to score Try's".

And we know Leka pays attention off the ball, so he has better mental focus than Konrad.

But the most compelling thing about Leka Halasima is that his tackle stats went from 84% in 2024 to 93% in 2025 - which proves he is coachable, you can't convince me that he is like Konrad and Solomone Kata who never improved their skills or evolved as players (off the ball where it matters most and say's the most about a league player).

BTW @Makasene I am just running some Devils advocacy here, I do not want Leka moved as I have stated recently, for the same reason you and @Tragic state, (Tragic talks about his development of the player, his physique, and you both underscore messing players around that are potential greats in the making in the position they currently occupy rather than gamble when perhaps they aren't really 'naturalized' centers).

When I take a global view of what you are saying, step back from your points and even my own devils advocacy counters.....when I take in the big picture..the whole reason Leka is a potential Center candidate is from what he is learning as a back rower (the lateral defence, the stamina to go 80, the hitting the ball and doing freaky shit - you yourself point these things out - we see the same dynamics) so I cannot make an argument that clearly say's that this guy is going to be better for become a center - oh sure he may be better for the New Zealand Warriors at center, but isn't that more about the Warriors not developing someone else or buying someone in (rhetorical but if Ali improved his tackling stats like Leka we wouldn't even be having this conversation)

To use my own point against me, do we want to take a guy who just improved his defence by a whopping 10% from the most defensive position in the team and cut that growth off when it only just starts to embed in someone barely out of there teens?

 

[Noitall]

How so? why EIT especially? is your reasoning to do with EIT being better suited to center or to do with a view that Leka staying where he is is better for the team?



While agree with this 100% for today regarding Leka vs Konrad for lack of ball playing, I don't think this view applies to the future (hey that is my opinion and it is hypothetical).

Konrad was unteachable. Leka can't be fairly lumped in the same category.

We know Leka is not lazy - huge difference with the Konrad's ceiling as a player which plateaued at "loves to score Try's".

And we know Leka pays attention off the ball, so he has better mental focus than Konrad.

But the most compelling thing about Leka Halasima is that his tackle stats went from 84% in 2024 to 93% in 2025 - which proves he is coachable, you can't convince me that he is like Konrad and Solomone Kata who never improved their skills or evolved as players (off the ball where it matters most and say's the most about a league player).

BTW @Makasene I am just running some Devils advocacy here, I do not want Leka moved as I have stated recently, for the same reason you and @Tragic state, (Tragic talks about his development of the player, his physique, and you both underscore messing players around that are potential greats in the making in the position they currently occupy rather than gamble when perhaps they aren't really 'naturalized' centers).

When I take a global view of what you are saying, step back from your points and even my own devils advocacy counters.....when I take in the big picture..the whole reason Leka is a potential Center candidate is from what he is learning as a back rower (the lateral defence, the stamina to go 80, the hitting the ball and doing freaky shit - you yourself point these things out - we see the same dynamics) so I cannot make an argument that clearly say's that this guy is going to be better for become a center - oh sure he may be better for the New Zealand Warriors at center, but isn't that more about the Warriors not developing someone else or buying someone in (rhetorical but if Ali improved his tackling stats like Leka we wouldn't even be having this conversation)

To use my own point against me, do we want to take a guy who just improved his defence by a whopping 10% from the most defensive position in the team and cut that growth off when it only just starts to embed in someone barely out of there teens?

It could be too that he could be seen as one with the most potential to make that transition by the club and offers a tackle breaking threat we want too exploit in the form of someone like Bradman Best? Every way you look at it we’ve got too many highly rated second rowers at the club and someone may need to shift? Question is would it be smart to shift your current best one? I think he totally could shift to centre if the club went in that direction and then there’s the discussion of Bishop Neal when he finally hits the scene with those who have followed saying he’s got more potential than Halasima and needs to be on an edge? Something’s gotta give at some point though some say Neal and Halasima will be our edge forwards in a couple of years?

 

[Barzak]

Squad is extremely meh on paper. We're absolutely a marquee player short, probably 2. Can't blame the recruitment, all their signings are sharp. Just no one wants to come here when they can stay in Aus, apart from when we're lucky. Webby's doing fantastic things with very average squads.

Real question is why are none of the kiwi backs (apart from the worst one by far CNK, no offense to him he's just cooked) play for us. A bunch of young stars playing for other teams. I'm sure the club is doing everything it can to mitigate it, but there is plenty of kiwi talent not playing for us.

I think I tend to disagree here. I think we have a couple of weak points within the squad/team but overall I rate it strongly.

Our young forwards have an extra year and preseason of NRL under their belts, Halasima, Vaimauga, Laban, EIT are a core of young forwards most teams would be jealous of.

A hooking rotation of Egan and Healey is solid potentially exciting depending on go forward and how much game time Healey gets.

Lock of the year.

JFH, Barnett starting props. Both offer different things but equally valuable.

Follow that with depth of Ford, Capewell, Niukore, TSS. Very reasonable replacements.


Our backs are where I think the unease is for me.

I hope we get a serviceable season from CNK, anything above that is a bonus.

RTS is a rock in the backline with effort and consistently high performance.
The other wing is a toss up, I’d prefer AKP to start, if we’re going to have a defensive liability I’d prefer one with legitimate blistering speed.

Centre is a massive question mark, not negatively, just really don’t know what to expect. I think Berry if healthy offers the most. But that’s incredibly hopeful.
Between Pompey and Leiataua for the other spot.

I have nothing against CHT I just don’t know where he fits and if 6 is his position.
Metcalf is the key. He is our premier HB and attacking threat. It was obvious to all how different we were once he went down.

Then the unknowns, to me, could be nothing, could be X-factors.

Gannon, Linnane, Fatialofa, Mellars. High hopes but no expectations.

TMM, Tuapiki and Boyd are players I don’t see fitting anywhere. Boyd will no doubt start the season at 7 until Metcalf is back but unless he’s paired with a creative 6 I don’t think he can be the attack we’re going to need.


The squad looks strong to me. Health will obviously play a key part as will development of new recruits and youngsters but meh is not what I would describe it as.

 

[Muddogz]

I think Halasima could make a decent fist of centre from what I’ve seen, however his best position is edge back row. If he improves as much this season as he did last season, he’ll be top 2-3 in his position.

It would be silly to move him unless injuries necessitate it.

 

[Riz]

If any edge player is going to be a centre it's Fatialofa.