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: 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

 

[Makasene]

All the best to him, weren't we lead to believe he was on the fence about staying at one point?

I don't think you can discount the fact that not even Mitch would have envisaged himself moving to NZ and becoming a starting Origin player and Kangaroo lol. Not easy for his family in NZ when we have a bye for Origin but he is away.

I would agree that it could be good timing, although I do suspect he has at least two big years still in him (27/28).

 

[Defence]

From the off contract forwards I think suia wong would be my pick- high ceiling player with a few games under his belt now- I can see his stocks rising this year.
More suited to playing in the middle than Laban or eit.
Nz born, best years in front of him and won’t tie up too much cap.

 

[Makasene]

I'm not worried about going out and signing another prop, I hope we don't.

So we are asking Demi and/or TSS to step up further in a middle forward pack that includes JFH, Clark, Ford.

It also opens the door for Clark to perhaps duplicate his role for the Kiwis, off the bench nugget.

This forward pack next year excites me really..

8. JFH
9. Egan
10. TSS
11. Laban
12. Leka
13. Gannon

14. Healey
15. Demetric
16. Ford
17. Clark
18. EIT / Fatialofa
19. Backs coverage

 

[WAH MAN]

If he is really leaving the club early due to personal and family reasons then thats ok but I don't think it's right for him to be immediately looking at other clubs in Australia when he has just announced the news. Gives the wrong impression in my opinion.

It's business. So he's probably already got figures presented by half the NRL

 

[Five&Last]

Barnett is more of a second rower transitioned to prop. His yardage is great for his size, but he's not really a line-bending meter eater that we have been missing.

Always kind of bothered me that we had him and JFH as our two starting props (both on 800k-900k) and neither really threaten a set defensive line that much. Mitch worked much better with a AFB type who he contrasted to a lot more. Barnett and JFH are way too similar players imo.

Now we can just have JFH as our sole leader, big minute, work horse prop. Then can focus on developing Demetric, TSS, Salalilo, RTV and even maybe Laban to partner him.

EIT can also be that secondary workhorse lightweight prop, that is more similar to Barnett.

Hopefully we can make a big splash in the fullback market. Koula would've been good before he just re-signed. Kini would be great but very much doubtful that would ever happen now with him being on a 5 year deal.

Praying we don't get desperate for leadership presence by offering Capewell/Niukore something stupid.

 

[CWC]

I’m thinking ‘27

Fish
Egan
Cape
Gannon/EIT (cover lock)
Laban (2nd row only)
Clark

Bench
Healey
Ford
Demi
Leka (60min)
Fats
Utility

Depth TSS and a couple of junior boys debuting this year

Seriously Cape is the carbon copy of Barney who also transitioned from second row, as long as he can make metres with some extra weight that he’s gaining with age anyway, dude’s got the aura, leadership, defensive glue, offload, endurance and heart

PS so the rumors last year of Barney wanting to leave was true and that’s why they kept trying to sign a prop

 

[Te Mana-wah]

Ka aroha hoki (what a pity) to lose Mitch. In my eyes he is a huge loss for the engine room.

Reading a lot of posts, I see the general consensus gives the impression that most people think he is somewhat expendable, and/or superfluous to requirements with our junior talent and forward stocks coming through. A post a few pages back even implied he isn't a top tier prop, as he is 2nd row/prop convert i.e. doesn't break tackles, nor gets decent yardage.

I'm of the belief that the mana and leadership and experience Baeney has means he will be sorely missed and without a suitable replacement I believe it will ge glaringly obvious how much we miss him!

From a mana perspective, he would no doubt be (after Fish) the player that the rest of the team wants to go to whawhai (fight) with, and for!

End of the day, you don't get an rigin jersey without ticking ALL the boxes!

I think we should have a good look at the market asap. Noticed Griffin Neame at 18th man for the cowgirls? Injury or down the pecking order? Would go for him and a FB .
A JFH and Leota reunion/combo would be next level!

 

[Five&Last]

Seriously Cape is the carbon copy of Barney who also transitioned from second row, as long as he can make metres with some extra weight that he’s gaining with age anyway, dude’s got the aura, leadership, defensive glue, offload, endurance and heart

I just think we would get smoked in yardage with Capewell at prop.

He's basically just a defensive player at this point who makes good reads out wide. Pretty ineffective with ball in hand or contact in the middle.

 

[j_p]

View: https://www.instagram.com/nzwarriors/reel/DVIIlxQEYL_/?hl=en

All the best barnett.

 

[j_p]

If he is really leaving the club early due to personal and family reasons then thats ok but I don't think it's right for him to be immediately looking at other clubs in Australia when he has just announced the news. Gives the wrong impression in my opinion.

I initially thought the same but it's actually the manager that announced that. It's their job to get him the best/longest contract possible and what better way to get that then let it be known the premiership winners are interested etc.
Also from the Cam George interview posters mentioned it seems the club is open to a player swap to let him go early.

 

[Noitall]

From the off contract forwards I think suia wong would be my pick- high ceiling player with a few games under his belt now- I can see his stocks rising this year.
More suited to playing in the middle than Laban or eit.
Nz born, best years in front of him and won’t tie up too much cap.

By all accounts, Leota was very disappointed when JFH left panthers and there were talks he could look to follow at the time. Leota on $675k for the next couple of years, I’d give him a bit of a pay bump if I was Warriors and try get him home for 2027

 

[Noitall]

rumour going around this year
Barnett to Parramatta and then Parramatta releasing Lomax to Melbourne.
Nelson Solimona looking to go to New Zealand









Came across this on tigers forum

 

[Tookey 2.0]

rumour going around this year
Barnett to Parramatta and then Parramatta releasing Lomax to Melbourne.
Nelson Solimona looking to go to New Zealand



View attachment 15917





Came across this on tigers forum

I hope this is simply one of those fan theories that have no actual credibility. Arguably one of the top props in 2024 and 2025 before he got injured, I'd hate to release him to sign someone who turned us down a few months ago to get in to boxing.

Can't see it happening

 

[Noitall]

I hope this is simply one of those fan theories that have no actual credibility. Arguably one of the top props in 2024 and 2025 before he got injured, I'd hate to release him to sign someone who turned us down a few months ago to get in to boxing.

Can't see it happening

Perhaps all this has been simmering and he only turned us down knowing this was around the corner? One thing I can see is Lomax getting to storm with Coates out for an extended period, not sure what to think on the NAS side of things?

 

[Damo]

NAS is all in on boxing, he signed something like a 9-12 fight contract.

 

[sydneywarrior92]

Can we stop giving oxygen to rumors coming from unidentified sources? If they were right, Mets would have signed to leave and NAS would be lining up for us next week. The fact that recent recruitment news (Haas and Barney) happened so quickly without anyone predicting them should give one an indication of how reliable rumor mills are in the modern game.

 

[snake77]

Not sure why releasing Barnett to sign NAS would solve the Eels/Storm Lomax drama.

We could release Barnett if his situation becomes untenable, as he can't wait until the end of the season. It would be better for him to have the option of multiple clubs instead of just the Eels.

Even if he went to the Eels, that signing doesn't have anything to do with the Storm.

The same with NAS signing anywhere, as it sounds like there aren't any conditions on his release. Nothing has been announced, unless that comes up if he does sign somewhere.



Now that this release has been announced. Until he signs somewhere, there will be rumours about where he will go. He will be sought after due to being an Origin and international-level player. Then, when he does sign somewhere, there will likely be pressure or further rumours about the team trying to get him early.

Hopefully, it doesn't disrupt our season. As much as clubs plan for the future the most important results are the recent ones, as that is what is reported on and generates the revenue.

 

[Wahs_Ultras]

What is NAS up to

 

[Blain]

NAS won't be at our club. The guy is opposite to Barney, he's a 2015 NZ Warriors type signing. Over the hill, injury prone, massive ego. He wouldn't fit in Webster style - Let's be honest, it is lazy journalism to link him here.

There isn't a like for like guy on the market, unless a kiwi does a JFH. Perth are throwing cash around at anyone half decent not signed, tough market to recruit in. But I honestly think we have the cattle to fill the void, if guys like TSS and Marata show us they can be 30 minute+ NRL props. JFH, Demi, Ford and TSS/Marata is a decent rotation.

Moving Clark to prop another option, to fit Demi or Gannon into 13 would be fine also. Clark was basically playing prop most last season anyway.

To have $800k to spend let's us strengthen our weakness, which is our backline.

 

[BabylonPink]

NAS won't be at our club. The guy is opposite to Barney, he's a 2015 NZ Warriors type signing. Over the hill, injury prone, massive ego. He wouldn't fit in Webster style - Let's be honest, it is lazy journalism to link him here.

There isn't a like for like guy on the market, unless a kiwi does a JFH. Perth are throwing cash around at anyone half decent not signed, tough market to recruit in. But I honestly think we have the cattle to fill the void, if guys like TSS and Marata show us they can be 30 minute+ NRL props. JFH, Demi, Ford and TSS/Marata is a decent rotation.

Moving Clark to prop another option, to fit Demi or Gannon into 13 would be fine also. Clark was basically playing prop most last season anyway.

To have $800k to spend let's us strengthen our weakness, which is our backline.

Yeah , we promote from within more than likely. We are a development club!