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

 

[snake77]

As a club you want a player to come here either as a star and kick on and bring you success. Or come here at a low point and you turn them around.

It is a credit to Boyd he come here with a good attitude. Did his time in NSW Cup. It is also a credit to the club for playing a large part in turning his career around.

We have had players arrive here and perform. Then move on. Having Boyd re-signed is probably better than having him turn his career around and leave. Having the headache of now fitting the rest of the puzzle is a nicer problem.

 

[roguei]

This is a business, not a charity.

They invested to bring Luke to this upper tier level of player category he now finds himself at. They rehabbed him and sent him to some of the best facilities in the world to trek him along.

They also have him locked into a long term contract - which is a powerful carrot to dangle for any struggling club to want to pick him up.

I would expect the Warriors strongly want compensation from the club his leaves to go to.

I think you're missing the forest for the trees here. With people saying even the bears (who's roster looks putrid at the moment) don't want him. Id of thought we'd struggle to get him a deal that is on par with the current one.

Now on the flip side, it doesn't look like the warriors see a place for him in the starting 17. So we have 900k sitting in NSW grade. Surely fighting over some level of payout from any club is not worth possibly moving him on asap to free up that cash to start talks to find a position we really need. Like center, fullback or now even 5/8 with both Metcalf and cht leaving.

This is all assuming the rumors around Metcalf, boyd and cht are all true.

 

[Warriorsfan92]

Whatever happens, this needs to be sorted asap. It was always an issue that us fans knew would pop up eventually.

I think a lot of this resolves around what Chanel wants to do. I assume if he wants to stay, Metcalf walks. But do we want to sign CHT for 1 year, or keep Metcalf for 3?

If Metcalf won’t stay if he’s not 7, then we need to re sign Chanel. It’s that simple.

Will Metcalf play 6? No? Gone. We’ve played our cards with Tanah re signing, now it’s over to Metcalf. Will he stay and fight for the 7? Will he settle for the 6? Someone needs to budge. I for one hope he stays & fights, but can understand either way.

 

[Wahs_Ultras]

If Metcalf walks, are we likely to still be paying some of his baggage off over the next couple of seasons? Surely the club that he goes to will have to payout the remainder of his contract in full, without us having to chip in.

 

[sup42]

If Metcalf walks, are we likely to still be paying some of his baggage off over the next couple of seasons? Surely the club that he goes to will have to payout the remainder of his contract in full, without us having to chip in.

Metcalf would have to go full blown dickhead for us to have to pay baggage.

At the moment he is worth a 900k punt by some suitors and we have a water tight contract(batteries not included) and more importantly we want him to stay.

So no baggage....famous last words I know.....more likely an amicable separation.

 

[Warriorsfan92]

If Metcalf walks, are we likely to still be paying some of his baggage off over the next couple of seasons? Surely the club that he goes to will have to payout the remainder of his contract in full, without us having to chip in.

If anything, they’ll be paying us. We had an agreement. The player is deciding to walk.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

If anything, they’ll be paying us. We had an agreement. The player is deciding to walk.

There must be clauses to his contract that let the club have options to let him go early?

 

[JustLikeStartingOver]

I think the club's always been keen on the idea of a 6. Metcalf / 7. Boyd halves pairing.

Webby dropped CHT first chance he had for Metcalf at 6 and only kept CHT when the noise became too loud.

On paper that’s a good combo, but it would also be quite expensive, average (at best) defensively and don’t like the vibes / culture implications of prioritising two imported aussie halves (highest paid, most fussed over positions in the team) over one of the clubs own*

*but if Chanel does not want to commit, then what’re they supposed to do, it would be a good pivot, not like mugging off Johnson (also a high maintenance player) with no alternative

 

[FormerlyJamesW]

I think CHT is the odd man out here. Not sure what to make of him only wanting a 12 month extension, he can't cash in on the PNG tax free money being a NZ citizen, but maybe he's anticipating more opportunities opening up in Australia for him as Aus players take the PNG money.

Some people value flexibility over long term stability. He left the game once, so maybe he's just one of these people who likes to keep his options open.

As a person who worked off annually signed contracts for 10 odd years, I see the value.

 

[Woofa]

Id love to know what is going through CHT's head at the moment. Hes an interesting cat, hell of a player.

 

[JustLikeStartingOver]

Some people value flexibility over long term stability. He left the game once, so maybe he's just one of these people who likes to keep his options open.

As a person who worked off annually signed contracts for 10 odd years, I see the value.

If he blows out his achilles towards the end of one these short term contracts he going to wish he was being paid the full whack to rehab under a clubs eye instead of going into free agency again.

 

[FormerlyJamesW]

If he blows out his achilles towards the end of one these short term contracts he going to wish he was being paid the full whack to rehab under a clubs eye instead of going into free agency again.

You're arguing logic with a person who marches to the beat of his own drum.

I'm not saying that he's doing the 'smart' thing, if he operates that way.

I'm just saying that some people operate that way.

 

[Dead Man Switch]

I think you're missing the forest for the trees here. With people saying even the bears (who's roster looks putrid at the moment) don't want him. Id of thought we'd struggle to get him a deal that is on par with the current one.

Now on the flip side, it doesn't look like the warriors see a place for him in the starting 17. So we have 900k sitting in NSW grade. Surely fighting over some level of payout from any club is not worth possibly moving him on asap to free up that cash to start talks to find a position we really need. Like center, fullback or now even 5/8 with both Metcalf and cht leaving.

This is all assuming the rumors around Metcalf, boyd and cht are all true.

I simply don't believe that is true. I think many clubs will be more than happy to take Metcalf. He is an asset / commodity / stock in a crucial position many clubs are struggling with currently.

He will find a home if he wants out of the Warriors. He probably already has several solid offers on the table if it has got to this stage already.

 

[Franky]

My understanding is Australia and PNG have a tax free arrangement for the PNG Chiefs. I don’t believe Citizenship is a factor in taxation, but rather what countries you have ties to in terms of residency.

As an example, assume Spencer Leniu is a New Zealand Citizen (born in Auckland). If he goes to play for PNG Chiefs, who would tax him if Australia and PNG have a tax free arrangement? He has no ties to New Zealand for tax purposes. The IRD are not tracking all NZ citizens globally and taxing their income.

 

[ShaunJohnson7]

how does he do that being 20th man?

PS I stand by my assessment that Webby should have eased him in back via limited mins in Cup, and use "player welfare" around his injuries as a way to slow that horse bolting out the gate.

Being consistently available for selection certainly helps and he has what? 5 weeks available from the past 11 months or so?

We were forced into looking at alternatives and now that it's working and working really well, doesn't mean he can just walk on back in at 7, especially given his 2 performances this season......

Pretty sure are at 100% win rate this season in games he hasn't played?

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Being consistently available for selection certainly helps and he has what? 5 weeks available from the past 11 months or so?

We were forced into looking at alternatives and now that it's working and working really well, doesn't mean he can just walk on back in at 7, especially given his 2 performances this season......

Pretty sure are at 100% win rate this season in games he hasn't played?

You are proving my point that he's not going to get game time

 

[Tokyo Warrior]

The IRD are not tracking all NZ citizens globally and taxing their income.

Hope they don't start!