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​
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: 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

 

[Muddogz]

Can someone tell me why we would resign / extend Rocco Berry? Genuinely keen to understand with his game time and injury history what the reason would be to keep him in? Feels like a Benry situation - the potential minus consistent injuries equals a straight forward decision

Berry is a good player if fit and has been a certain starter when not injured. If he has a good back of the season we’ll definitely try to resign him.

I’m a big fan but realistically he’ll need a good half season in 2026.

 

[chrisnz]

How would you approach the remaining 2.5 years of his contract?

Play him in cup and out of position until he asks for a compasionate release as bad as that sounds haha its a harsh business I know they have been different injurys and we are talking about humans they are bound to get the odd injury but I swear to God a few are made of plastic and he is one of them

 

[roguei]

Can someone tell me why we would resign / extend Rocco Berry? Genuinely keen to understand with his game time and injury history what the reason would be to keep him in? Feels like a Benry situation - the potential minus consistent injuries equals a straight forward decision

IMO he is a very, very good center. Defensively our best by a long shot. Does all of the effort areas really well (kick chase, run meters, support plays). He's going through a slightly lighter version of what Flegler had. And he seems to of come out the otherside quite well. I also think going nuclear, direclty into surgery is the best thing long term. Personally im not convinced on our center stock, so i'd love to gamble on him coming right. But i'd put him as our number one center if healthy.

 

[Cces]

Does all of the effort areas really well (kick chase, run meters, support plays).

His career average is 67 run metres a game

 

[Wahs_Ultras]

I was thinking that it could be a real possibility that we let CNK go a year early, but with RTS leaving and our young FB’s not having game time in cup yet, it would be far too risky unless we somehow snag an early release for a FB at the end of the season.

 

[3rdstriker]

Can someone tell me why we would resign / extend Rocco Berry? Genuinely keen to understand with his game time and injury history what the reason would be to keep him in? Feels like a Benry situation - the potential minus consistent injuries equals a straight forward decision

Metcalfs almost in the same conversation too.

 

[FormerlyJamesW]

Metcalfs almost in the same conversation too.

I was gunna say, substitute Berry's name for Metcalf and we're suddenly okay with being injury prone?

 

[sup42]

Keen to get a view from peeps. RTS and Barnett gone. Maybe lose Capewell, DWZ and CNK gone. More than the talent that represents which can be replaced do we risk losing too many culture setters / club men in one fell swoop? I feel like that leaves the likes of Fish, Erin Clarke and a few up and comers carrying the role of Warriors Kaumatua in the group. Is that an area we should actually be looking to recruit? Another Wylie boss forward like Capewell or Barnett? Is it even a thing? Just thinking about how some clubs show loyalty over form to certain players that embody the club. Very keen to hear what anyone thinks…

Intriguing post. particularly the question about whether these Whiley battle hardened types (in the Warriors that is a tag reserved for Australians almost exclusively) are even a thing anymore.

It is part of our legend, that the fable of the Aussie hardman begins at the lowest ebb for this kingdom of middle earth. At the ending of the atomic age, the epoch of the space race - in the year 2001 Kevin Campion entered the Warriors inner sanctum, un announced, his kit under his arm, they say that the hall fell silent, that all honing of steel, polishing of shields ceased and a whisper was heard 'so it's true? they said the line of kings was broken? Esildur's heir has come to Mt Smart?

Unfortunately for us the Hobbit from Taniwharau never did get his hands on the one ring.

Jest aside. There is a legend. And we all (those of us who remember) have adopted the hard nosed Australian mythology into Warrior Lore. And the Story of Kevin Campion walking into the Gym unannounced is true, and the players who by then were a bunch of no names no one had ever heard of like Toopi, Meli, Faafili, and Motu Tony genuinely were shocked and muttering 'If he wants to play for us, we can't be that bad'. I think that was a master stroke by that mad man Daniel Anderson, not telling the players Campo was in the house, then watching him walk in (Anderson himself was the Narrator of that story).

Is it still a thing? Probably, although there must come a time where one day New Zealand Rugby League will produce these professional big hearted, aggressive - but most of all hard to kill types on our own shores. Till then indeed we do need to hold onto some of the old blood, the old God's, the old ways. Capewell keep 100% but no more importing, our young men are showing some of that hardman dna, Demitric has the competitive bit, Laban too, but Laban if we are talking like for like seems to be the one that might end up with the engine to dish it out for eighty minutes....till that day....hold on to Kurt Campion please.....

 

[MrFrankWhite]

I was gunna say, substitute Berry's name for Metcalf and we're suddenly okay with being injury prone?

Berry isnt a half on close to a mill

 

[FormerlyJamesW]

Berry isnt a half on close to a mill

Wouldn't that make it worse in Metcalfs case? We're paying him more and he's in a far more critical position.

 

[Cces]

We're paying him more and he's in a far more critical position.

We're obligated to pay Metcalf in 2027 & '28 though. We can wash our hands of Berry if we wanted.
Warbrick is replacing RTS.
Anderson is replacing _____?

 

[FormerlyJamesW]

We're obligated to pay Metcalf in 2027 & '28 though. We can wash our hands of Berry if we wanted.

I was more getting at the double standard of how we view injury prone players.

But yes, we probably should be looking at a less injury prone centre.

Bit of a shame. Like Metcalf, I rate Berry as a player. But like Metcalf, he is very prone to injury.

 

[Noitall]

We're obligated to pay Metcalf in 2027 & '28 though. We can wash our hands of Berry if we wanted.
Warbrick is replacing RTS.
Anderson is replacing _____?

I notice 5 spaces, is it Berry you’ve got Anderson replacing as Pompey has 6?

 

[Cces]

I notice 5 spaces, is it Berry you’ve got Anderson replacing as Pompey has 6?

Pompey is under contract for 2027. I can't see him leaving early

 

[Noitall]

Pompey is under contract for 2027. I can't see him leaving early

May become depth though? Leiataua is looking better and better

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Wouldn't that make it worse in Metcalfs case? We're paying him more and he's in a far more critical position.

Yes which means it’s important to get return on the money already invested.

 

[Matiunz]

lol @ the knee jerk of trying to push out Metcalf, I swear some fans have very short memories and can turn on players in an instant

 

[chrisnz]

I would love capes to be extended or given a pathway into coaching he's one of them rare journeyman that's actually had a shit load of success regardless of where he lands would have plenty of connects and pull in coming decades and seems webby rates him highly and a real club man for someone with unsettled roots

 

[Noitall]

lol @ the knee jerk of trying to push out Metcalf, I swear some fans have very short memories and can turn on players in an instant

Some seemed like the they had needles in a doll right from the start. He wasn’t a 7 and solely a 6 and had good individual form but hamstrung our attack. Fact of the matter is he has the mental fortitude to own big moments and that’s the difference between he and Boyd until Boyd proves otherwise

 

[John Nick]

Wouldn't that make it worse in Metcalfs case? We're paying him more and he's in a far more critical position.

Depending on your point of view
Imo a fit Metcalf would be more influential in winning the competition than a fit Berry.