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

 

[Wahs_Ultras]

Do you guys reckon that if we extend CHT and Tanah, Healey leaves at the end of next year?

I’m all for CHT at 6, but the more logical scenario is that he locks up that utility role off the bench (provided a Tanah and Mets combo starts to click), limiting Healeys minutes in first grade. Obviously having Tafua chipping at Sam’s heels dosent help his case either.

 

[Warriorsitsouryear]

Guys I love the speculation but there's just no world in which the Warriors sign three halves on starting halves' salary. It's a really poor use of the cap and wastes decent coin that can go to big upgrades in less well paid positions, or to spread to keep our homegrown talent around longer. No clubs do this, unless there's a clear way in which one of the halves can play elsewhere.

So it's two out of the three. I don't really see them jettisoning Metcalf after one year into three (assuming there are offers he'd accept elsewhere) so with the other renewals needed this season (and they'll both want multiyear deal security given their form) it's one of Tanah or CHT.

What the best sides do is bridge this by having a young guy with upside on a multi-year deal, or a cheaper half who wants a year in a good system before having a crack at starting again elsewhere on better coin (like Scheider, SOS, Cogger at Penrith over the years; Madden at Brisbane; arguably even Boyd signing for us). Ultimately I think the Linnane signing was intended to secure us in advance against this instance we knew we were facing, with Jett, Hanson and Thompson also in the mix down the track. Maybe there will be an unders halves signing if Linnane doesn't quite make the grade (we were pretty quick at moving on the likes of Keighran/Volkman/Asi once we had a look at them and deemed them not up to first grade).

Any chat about keeping all of CHT/Met/Boyd is basically nice thinking but won't actually happen in a world where the comp has a salary cap

CHT is great for the squad off field and on it. He can hit like a forward and run like a back - I would personally keep him and train him for left centre start next year but can also play 13 and left back row. Great for a bench player also. Then can keep Tannah and Metcalf and have quality and experienced cover in the halves if the junior halves aren't quite ready.

 

[WAH MAN]

Last year despite his stats, many on this forum were calling for his head.
I don't blame him if he finds himself a lucrative deal offshore.

Same call for head rolling was made for Dally Ford and Form halfback Tanah. Form changes conversations and contract discussions

 

[Defence]

In all my years reading these threads it’s the first time I can recall there being more talk about retention than recruitment.
That’s the sign of a club who’s in a good spot.

 

[Inruin]

Our playoff record is poor though. 1 out of 4 and closest loss is by 16
View attachment 17146

And no proof of Metcalf being able to turn it up at finals time.

 

[Makasene]

In all my years reading these threads it’s the first time I can recall there being more talk about retention than recruitment.
That’s the sign of a club who’s in a good spot.

Yep it's wild times.

Just look at the names that can't get on the field game day.

Heavy discussion about our halves, not one mention of TMM - and rightly so but just goes to show the level we are sitting at.

 

[WAH MAN]

And no proof of Metcalf being able to turn it up at finals time.

If our form turnaround for Tanah and Fordy is a good guide to go by even Metcalf might have some divine improvements in him

 

[The Undertaker]

If our form turnaround for Tanah and Fordy is a good guide to go by even Metcalf might have some divine improvements in him

Luke was last years Jackson Ford…

 

[RobRoyMcCoy]

Oi!! Mong the Merciless!!! No!!!!!

Get your filthy hands off our Chanel!

 

[sup42]

In all my years reading these threads it’s the first time I can recall there being more talk about retention than recruitment.
That’s the sign of a club who’s in a good spot.

True that bro.

There were years where we thought we might have a great Junior production line (John Akland era, big boys steam rolling little boys) but that was all speculative based off non NRL level of competition. Especially the year that we had three teams in the finals (2011 from memory, NRL, NSW cup, that U20s side everyone thought would take us to the promise land one day).

You probably remember there were always people that were against importing Aussies? wanting local juniors to be thrown in the NRL all the time?

We know a lot more now about what is required (although we knew then, we just didn't think it would ever happen).

1) Motivated club owner with new ideas and a Rugby league background.
2) CEO that is a good man manager/relations builder with the coaches and HQ staff.
3) Dedicated pathways system with investment and someone who know's the NRL running it.
4) Recruitment officer that looks across the NRL outside of NZ and even outside of Rugby league (Cappy obviously does two jobs Pathways and recruitment - we should probably get someone to take one of those jobs off his hands eventually)

5) Coach. Build a winning, watchable brand of football to bring back the fans, and specifically re this thread - appear more attractive to big name NRL players from Australia.


One of the main reasons we don't talk about recruitment as much as retention is that McFadden has flooded our system with halves. There is a global shortage of Rugby league half backs, and McFadden has bought up a surplus of future halves.

McFadden and co have done the work to stock our system with first pick quality junior forwards, so we have stopped talking about signing props and backrowers. Well we don't have a lot of Props per Se, but Webster has made that less of an issue with his love of mobile middles like Dimitric and Clark, both can run like traditional Prop forwards. Then there are monsters like this Bishop Neal and Lennox Tuiloma and lets not forget RTV is not far off FG readiness.....there are others I haven't singled out, but even our emerging back rowers have power running in them like Halasima and Fatialofa (which offsets the need for heavy Props in your pack).

If I could wish list two positions in our pack then yeah maybe one more prop and spare hooker, but no back rowers.

We all know our backline could do with a center import, and or a fullback. But those are basically the only two positions where we need someone, so that is two players really...two players are a lot easier to focus on eh than the mess of the past where we needed a revamp.

I should mention that we seem to have fixed our wing issues in terms of having better strike options and the Storm boy is certainly a better defender than some of ours.

 

[skinnydippng]

Oi!! Mong the Merciless!!! No!!!!!

Get your filthy hands off our Chanel!

Gentlemen, this is wahmocracy manifest!

 

[CWC]

Gentlemen, this is wahmocracy manifest!
View attachment 17149

Stop touching my chanel!