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), Marata Niukore (Newcastle Knights), Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (Wakefield Trinity)

Off contract and free to sign elsewhere for 2027: Rocco Berry, 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

 

[CWC]

View: https://youtu.be/ySFtXDDkdrU?si=rjmgrhyJRSCHdzQz

This is interesting SJ brought it up this week, wasn’t expecting it after they voted 3:0 Metcalf and thought they’d park the topic for now. Brief discussion at around 14:00ish

You’d expect more chatter from aussie journos as he can be approached right now. I am on the fence to what the outcome will be, hope he extends

 

[FormerlyJamesW]

You’d expect more chatter from aussie journos as he can be approached right now. I am on the fence to what the outcome will be, hope he extends

I'm not all that confident that Boyd would do as well outside of our system (Penrith being an exception).

Confidence wise, the Titans really did a number on him and he feels like a bit of a Goldilocks in that things have gotta be just right for him to really get going.

Personally, I reckon he'd do well with another three years of confidence building under his belt here before scampering home.

 

[Blain]

Comes down to what other clubs will offer him IMO. You would think the Dragons or Perth would be going hard for him, a mid value option who is coming into his own at NRL level. I would love us to extend another 1-2 years for decent money. But I can see another club doing a 3 year $2 million+ deal, which would be hard for us to beat I'd say.

 

[Blain]

The other side of it is what is our 2027/2028 plan. Is Cleary actually seen as our guy? He has magic touch, you can see it. But he still has some really flat stuff in his game, which he'll need to polish this season.

 

[Dead Man Switch]

The other side of it is what is our 2027/2028 plan. Is Cleary actually seen as our guy? He has magic touch, you can see it. But he still has some really flat stuff in his game, which he'll need to polish this season.

I think he needs another 12 - 18 months to round out his game but you know most NRL clubs will be targeting him already. If the Warriors want to keep him long term their hand may be forced soon too. His next level of growth requires NRL exposure. Another thing to account for - though he does have an 2027 NRL contract with the Warriors.

Another note on Kayliss Fatialofa - He ran for 190m on the weekend and executed 49 tackles. Pretty awesome production!!

 

[Neo]

I think he needs another 12 - 18 months to round out his game but you know most NRL clubs will be targeting him already. If the Warriors want to keep him long term their hand may be forced soon too. His next level of growth requires NRL exposure. Another thing to account for - though he does have an 2027 NRL contract with the Warriors.

Another note on Kayliss Fatialofa - He ran for 190m on the weekend and executed 49 tackles. Pretty awesome production!!

It was EIT with 49 tackles and 110m.
Kayliss had 190m and 24 tackles.

Both showing good output

 

[CWC]

I'm just looking at a scenario where we pass on extending Boyd, and Metcalf is the 7 in '27 and he misses half the games based on his annual track record, and Jett is thrown in to debut or Linnane/Hansen or CNK becomes a regular 6 with CHT playing 7?

And then we repeat it in '28, Jett and Thompson debuts to gain experience. Those 2 will become regular starters with confidence in '29. So 2 years of Metcalf/CHT/Jett/Thompson sharing the pivot role

 

[WAH MAN]

I'm just looking at a scenario where we pass on extending Boyd, and Metcalf is the 7 in '27 and he misses half the games based on his annual track record, and Jett is thrown in to debut or Linnane/Hansen or CNK becomes a regular 6 with CHT playing 7?

And then we repeat it in '28, Jett and Thompson debuts to gain experience. Those 2 will become regular starters with confidence in '29. So 2 years of Metcalf/CHT/Jett/Thompson sharing the pivot role

So no matter how well Tanah goes he's dead to us already?

I was thinking that Cam, Cappy, Webby, Tanah and his representatives all know that from his choke era to this era aren't to far apart and that they are awaiting more of the same this season and certain KPI's to table the offer.

 

[Noitall]

So no matter how well Tanah goes he's dead to us already?

I was thinking that Cam, Cappy, Webby, Tanah and his representatives all know that from his choke era to this era aren't to far apart and that they are awaiting more of the same this season and certain KPI's to table the offer.

Poor old Tanah’s not dead to anyone

 

[FormerlyJamesW]

So no matter how well Tanah goes he's dead to us already?

You jumped on that corpse pretty quickly, mate.

 

[CWC]

So no matter how well Tanah goes he's dead to us already?

I was thinking that Cam, Cappy, Webby, Tanah and his representatives all know that from his choke era to this era aren't to far apart and that they are awaiting more of the same this season and certain KPI's to table the offer.

I want him extended I'm just laying out a future where Tanah be like



then our chance of winning a premiership becomes

 

[Wrighty]

You jumped on that corpse pretty quickly, mate.

You nailed that dead on.

 

[Dead Man Switch]

It was EIT with 49 tackles and 110m.
Kayliss had 190m and 24 tackles.

Both showing good output

My Bad - Two top players who should be playing weekly NRL!!

 

[Hitro]

Assuming Capewell finishes up with us this year (he's 34 next year), next year EIT and Kayliss go from being 4th and 5th string second rowers to 3rd and 4th.

Agree that they're all probably looking over their shoulder at Bishop Neal, but five second rowers sounds about right for a top 30? bigger issue is going to be the logjam after that. Laban/Leka/EIT/Kayliss/Neal are all under 22. Assume we'll start losing more young 2nd rowers (say current HM and SG ball players) who don't see a path.

agree one or two probably head into the middle at some stage, but it's not like we don't have good prospects coming through there too (Salalilo, Sikuvea, RTV) I see gannon's getting more game time at lock in cup, maybe a move there for him too.

Interesting that we have been playing Kahu Capper and Connor Bowden as 2nd rowers in flegg. both have been OBs for most of their careers. Wouldn't have thought we'd be moving them in a spot to get in line (above).

 

[KO WAI RA]

Well thank fuck we don’t cook our juniors no more aye….!!!!
Been some great debut's under Webby….
No more Ukuma exposure which was how it used to be….
Confidence dissolved after 1st hit up….
Fuck we have had sum great players put on the chopping block at the very start of the lets gone movement….

 

[CWC]

Assuming Capewell finishes up with us this year (he's 34 next year), next year EIT and Kayliss go from being 4th and 5th string second rowers to 3rd and 4th.

Agree that they're all probably looking over their shoulder at Bishop Neal, but five second rowers sounds about right for a top 30? bigger issue is going to be the logjam after that. Laban/Leka/EIT/Kayliss/Neal are all under 22. Assume we'll start losing more young 2nd rowers (say current HM and SG ball players) who don't see a path.

agree one or two probably head into the middle at some stage, but it's not like we don't have good prospects coming through there too (Salalilo, Sikuvea, RTV) I see gannon's getting more game time at lock in cup, maybe a move there for him too.

Interesting that we have been playing Kahu Capper and Connor Bowden as 2nd rowers in flegg. both have been OBs for most of their careers. Wouldn't have thought we'd be moving them in a spot to get in line (above).

Laban to prop, gradually Clark as well, and 1 of Gannon/EIT to lock might be the way to go to fit everyone in, the junior props can compete for TSS' old spot and gradually take over from Fish/Barney voids...

 

[rugged]

I wonder what promises were made to Luke last year when he re-signed? The Warriors had to win his signature and I am sure the narrative was that he would be our starting 7, with the million dollar contract to prove it. This will be a huge test for Webby, I am sure his planning was that LM would be our long term option, but with his injuries and then the form of TB and CHT - I just don't know how you can make changes in the halves.

I think the talk of LM playing 1 is just forum talk and won't be a serious consideration. If TB fronts up against some of the competition big guns(Penrith and Brisbane) then I could see LM at another club in 27.

 

[Tookey 2.0]

Assuming Capewell finishes up with us this year (he's 34 next year), next year EIT and Kayliss go from being 4th and 5th string second rowers to 3rd and 4th.

What will our forward pack look like next year? Can we expect EIT to largely be on the bench full time? I had felt a bit bad for him considering he was looking great at the end of last year.

Fish
Egan
Ford
Leka
Laban
Clark

Healey
Vaimauga
Tanner
EIT
Gannon
Taine

Fatialofa - will likely get loads of game time on the bench as nek man up. I can see us moving Clark to prop, and Gannon to 13, opening up a bench spot

Feel like im missing someone that's gunna make be feel silly though!

 

[CWC]

What will our forward pack look like next year? Can we expect EIT to largely be on the bench full time? I had felt a bit bad for him considering he was looking great at the end of last year.

Fish
Egan
Ford
Leka
Laban
Clark

Healey
Vaimauga
Tanner
EIT
Gannon
Taine

Fatialofa - will likely get loads of game time on the bench as nek man up. I can see us moving Clark to prop, and Gannon to 13, opening up a bench spot

Feel like im missing someone that's gunna make be feel silly though!

Just the junior props and Neal. 1 of the 2nd rowers definitely need to change position to fit everyone in.

 

[Noitall]

Just the junior props and Neal. 1 of the 2nd rowers definitely need to change position to fit everyone in.

How much bigger do we see Neal getting? From what people say he needs to stay on an edge because his skills demand it. He’s got a taste and the drive he seems to possess might see him rise up the ranks rather quickly?