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

 

[SJ2k]

We absolutely needed to fill out our outside backs this offseason and didn't, and now the fruits are here before the season even starts. Shit luck, and I assume we were being disciplined with value. But we really should have thrown bank at any half decent OB (Garrick etc) considering how budget our team is.

Being disciplined and frugal is smart, but the upside should be the ability to splurge when needed. And boy did we clearly need OB's coming off the end of last season. If you're going to carry the insane liability that is Berry, for whatever reason, then you need to assume it's lucky if he plays out the season because last season was absolutely fucked.

We're extremely lucky Pompey is goddam invincible.

I'm surprised we didn't have more takers, if we actually tried. The pathway to a starting spot has got to be the best out of almost any club in the nrl.

Beak had a pod about us being dark horses. Bless his heart. We achieved nothing in recruitment this offseason. Improved literally no position at all.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

We absolutely needed to fill out our outside backs this offseason and didn't, and now the fruits are here before the season even starts. Shit luck, and I assume we were being disciplined with value. But we really should have thrown bank at any half decent OB (Garrick etc) considering how budget our team is.

Being disciplined and frugal is smart, but the upside should be the ability to splurge when needed. And boy did we clearly need OB's coming off the end of last season. If you're going to carry the insane liability that is Berry, for whatever reason, then you need to assume it's lucky if he plays out the season because last season was absolutely fucked.

We're extremely lucky Pompey is goddam invincible.

I'm surprised we didn't have more takers, if we actually tried. The pathway to a starting spot has got to be the best out of almost any club in the nrl.

Beak had a pod about us being dark horses. Bless his heart. We achieved nothing in recruitment this offseason. Improved literally no position at all.

We're extremely lucky Pompey is goddam invincible.

you have just gone and totally fucked that!

 

[Citygirl]

I think it was all the boots fault he wasn’t as successful as he could have been…

Or the butterfly tattoo or am I mis-remembering that?

 

[Blain]

RTS played Centre in 2024. He had an 82% tackle efficiency. Not the worst I have seen for a Centre but nowhere near exceptional. Interesting that that year was the first time in his career he got over 80%. Last year a lot of people were complaining about Timoko tackling but his average was 84%.

Stats all from the NRL website.

Stats aren't everything. You don't get judged to have missed a tackle if you don't lay a hand on someone.. And there is a big difference in a strong tackle vs a weak one which gives away 10m. Not saying that's RTS specfically.

I think it would be a massive waste to not develop a centre like Ali vs trying to train an old boy in a new position like RTS - who is in his last year at the club potentially lets not forget. He also just won player of the season on left wing (although that should have been Erin).

 

[Muddogz]

We absolutely needed to fill out our outside backs this offseason and didn't, and now the fruits are here before the season even starts. Shit luck, and I assume we were being disciplined with value. But we really should have thrown bank at any half decent OB (Garrick etc) considering how budget our team is.

Being disciplined and frugal is smart, but the upside should be the ability to splurge when needed. And boy did we clearly need OB's coming off the end of last season. If you're going to carry the insane liability that is Berry, for whatever reason, then you need to assume it's lucky if he plays out the season because last season was absolutely fucked.

We're extremely lucky Pompey is goddam invincible.

I'm surprised we didn't have more takers, if we actually tried. The pathway to a starting spot has got to be the best out of almost any club in the nrl.

Beak had a pod about us being dark horses. Bless his heart. We achieved nothing in recruitment this offseason. Improved literally no position at all.

We’ve got two more outside backs in AKP and Mellars. Garrick is still at the sea eagles this year and going to the Roosters next year. It would have taken massive overs to get Garrick to even consider us to come here before uncle nick offered him a job for life.

Yes centre is a weak spot for us, but there’s a few guys there who can do a job there for a bit rather than throwing money in desperation.

 

[3rdstriker]

He has definitely got something on attack, I am guessing he needs to develop defensively. That is the foundation for Webby.

Why don't those foundations translate out to Dwzs wing?

 

[Ever Hopeful]

We absolutely needed to fill out our outside backs this offseason and didn't, and now the fruits are here before the season even starts. Shit luck, and I assume we were being disciplined with value. But we really should have thrown bank at any half decent OB (Garrick etc) considering how budget our team is.

Being disciplined and frugal is smart, but the upside should be the ability to splurge when needed. And boy did we clearly need OB's coming off the end of last season. If you're going to carry the insane liability that is Berry, for whatever reason, then you need to assume it's lucky if he plays out the season because last season was absolutely fucked.

We're extremely lucky Pompey is goddam invincible.

I'm surprised we didn't have more takers, if we actually tried. The pathway to a starting spot has got to be the best out of almost any club in the nrl.

Beak had a pod about us being dark horses. Bless his heart. We achieved nothing in recruitment this offseason. Improved literally no position at all.

A quality outside back would have been nice, as it would have been in the last off season to replace Montoya too. Hopefully a couple of recruitments will be canny acquisitions, each of Gannon, AKP, Mellars and Inch have a point of difference to our squad. If 50% of them come off, and we don't get shafted by injuries to our best players again then we should have a solid enough season. I had expected a depth signing in the backs though.

You'd have to be happy with the retention game though. We've kept the names we wanted to including our half, gun young forwards and age group stars throughout the grades. And staggeringly we have retained every Australian half prospect we have incubating.

Berry's injury isn't new, that shoulder was completely fucked last season, it wouldn't stay in for even the most innocuous of exertion. He was always going to have surgery in the offseason. Definitely last chance saloon stuff before he becomes the next Roache/Benry you'd think.