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), Luke Metcalf (St George Illawarra Dragons), Marata Niukore (Newcastle Knights), Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (Wakefield Trinity)

Off contract and free to sign elsewhere for 2027: Rocco Berry, Kurt Capewell, 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, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Sam Healey, Eddie Ieremia-Toeava, Ali Leiataua, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Motu Pasikala, Adam Pompey, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak

 

[Dead Man Switch]

Its pretty exciting to see Bishop Neal, Joseph Ratcliffe and Brandon Norris tracking like they are. They would add X-Factor to our NRL squad in time.

Brandon Norris is an out and out gun. He is outrageously talented and I must admit I am surprised the Warriors haven't given him a sniff of NSW cup yet because the kid may be just about the most natural talent I have ever seen produced on the wing at the club. The only thing I wonder is perhaps he is not signed long term so they are hesitant to over invest in him now. I would do everything to hold on to him. GUN.

Interesting question if you had to choose to lose one and keep one of the following players who would it be?

Motu Pasikala vs. Sio Kali

 

[The Warrior Waka]

Interesting question if you had to choose to lose one and keep one of the following players who would it be?

Motu Pasikala vs. Sio Kali

Why even ask this?

 

[Ever Hopeful]

Its pretty exciting to see Bishop Neal, Joseph Ratcliffe and Brandon Norris tracking like they are. They would add X-Factor to our NRL squad in time.

Brandon Norris is an out and out gun. He is outrageously talented and I must admit I am surprised the Warriors haven't given him a sniff of NSW cup yet because the kid may be just about the most natural talent I have ever seen produced on the wing at the club. The only thing I wonder is perhaps he is not signed long term so they are hesitant to over invest in him now. I would do everything to hold on to him. GUN.

Interesting question if you had to choose to lose one and keep one of the following players who would it be?

Motu Pasikala vs. Sio Kali

This is probably the answer, which would be cruel to us fans who have been eagerly anticipating his rise. These young kids are going to have to get pretty naturalised in NZ if they see out a term of a development contract/age group, and then sign on again for a longer term contract when they come of age. That is a heck of a lot of years to invest , which historically we don't to see from Aussies here. Still, at least they don't come over with already established Aussie nucleus-families.

 

[Dead Man Switch]

Why even ask this?

Roster spots are extremely tight at NRL level. Many of these young guys will not get to play for the Warriors. Similar to talent like Patrick Moimoi, Haami Loza, Patrick Moimoi, Toby Crosby having to leave.

I think Kali, Pasikala, Potoko, Lemana, Vake etc are all competing for maybe 1-2 spots in the full time roster come 2028.

With Pasikala and Kali, I believe both players will make it to an NRL full time contract but not both necessarily at the Warriors. I see both these two in particular in competition for the same roster spot.

 

[The Warrior Waka]

Roster spots are extremely tight at NRL level. Many of these young guys will not get to play for the Warriors. Similar to talent like Patrick Moimoi, Haami Loza, Patrick Moimoi, Toby Crosby having to leave.

I think Kali, Pasikala, Potoko, Lemana, Vake etc are all competing for maybe 1-2 spots in the full time roster come 2028.

With Pasikala and Kali, I believe both players will make it to an NRL full time contract but not both necessarily at the Warriors. I see both these two in particular in competition for the same roster spot.

I think your selling Kali a bit short here. Injuries aside(Which there has been a few already for sio) I rate him on par, if not better than any of our highly rated junior backs including Norris.

Pasikala gets moved around a bit to much for my liking. Hes still a fair way to go. Power packed human with huge potential. He could be our Brian To'o. Kali & Norris are definitely ahead of him in the pecking order tho. But I haven't written him off yet.

Harry Tauafiafi-Iutoi is another player i have huge wraps on.

 

[sup42]

Roster spots are extremely tight at NRL level. Many of these young guys will not get to play for the Warriors. Similar to talent like Patrick Moimoi, Haami Loza, Patrick Moimoi, Toby Crosby having to leave.

I think Kali, Pasikala, Potoko, Lemana, Vake etc are all competing for maybe 1-2 spots in the full time roster come 2028.

With Pasikala and Kali, I believe both players will make it to an NRL full time contract but not both necessarily at the Warriors. I see both these two in particular in competition for the same roster spot.

Both quick players with loads of running talent. Both raw, prone to rocks and diamonds games (not a criticism they are young).

The one that understands that defence and effort plays are the path to the NRL and not scoring Try's is the one that will make it. That plus being more consistent with possession.

Every player (except Ali the 2026 version at years start) that has debuted under Webster has been turning in high work loads in defence in NSW cup (especially those young forwards, they all earned their fg starts).

The ones that do the one percenters then fade for a game in cup are the ones often seen on the extended but no debut (Fatialofa is very much in that category, he still has low work games in cup or he would get a run now, while someone young and decent rotates out).

EIT is the best example of where work gets you, and now Tanner.

 

[Neo]

We get to see Anderson back in action this weekend at centre. Replaced Shibisaki

 

[3rdstriker]

Might be controversial or sound unfair but I don't think Bishop Neal has had anywhere near the fitness and conditioning work that comes from reaching Cup level and actually playing more than two or three games there (he has only been in there five minutes poor dude).

I can't see how he wouldn't get carved up in the NRL at this stage (even in a dead rubber game that is gonna suck for him).

At the moment he is walking from 2nd Marker and or turning his back and jogging (hey it's NSW cup, players aren't exactly trying or capable of hitting 50 tackles, I get that) I'm commenting on a KPI issue that won't work in the NRL.

I don't wanna bag young Bishop, just saying he is a long way off NRL, on Sunday he gifted the Panthers cup side their first Try by creating a hole through just not jogging over to close a gap he had created himself in the middle of the field, the ball was going away from Neal, the Panther halfback saw that Neal was standing next to a massive hole and put on a big left foot step to go straight to where Neal had left the door wide open, then the halfback twisted in a Neal tackle and was able to muscle his way over to score.

He is too young, too inexperienced, too lacking in fair preparation to get anywhere near the NRL at this stage imo.

Not just Bishop either the whole cup team in terms of their defense are a shadow of last season with a few players moving on.
Offensive and especially Defensive Structures all have to be followed hard before anyone moves up.

 

[CWC]

We get to see Anderson back in action this weekend at centre. Replaced Shibisaki

Was shibasaki dropped?

 

[Wahs_Ultras]

Was shibasaki dropped?

MCL

 

[Five&Last]

I think your selling Kali a bit short here. Injuries aside(Which there has been a few already for sio) I rate him on par, if not better than any of our highly rated junior backs including Norris.

Pasikala gets moved around a bit to much for my liking. Hes still a fair way to go. Power packed human with huge potential. He could be our Brian To'o. Kali & Norris are definitely ahead of him in the pecking order tho. But I haven't written him off yet.

Harry Tauafiafi-Iutoi is another player i have huge wraps on.

Harry Tauafiafi-Iutoi is just rated higher than Brandon Norris. That's the facts.

Someone spotted it a while ago when HTI was getting 18th man call ups to cup, but now he's had 3 consecutive starts in cup. I think Norris is extremely talented but he has to overtake Harry Tauafiafi-Iutoi, Sio Kali and Jeremiah Lemana to get to cup.

 

[CWC]

Harry Tauafiafi-Iutoi is just rated higher than Brandon Norris. That's the facts.

Someone spotted it a while ago when HTI was getting 18th man call ups to cup, but now he's had 3 consecutive starts in cup. I think Norris is extremely talented but he has to overtake Harry Tauafiafi-Iutoi, Sio Kali and Jeremiah Lemana to get to cup.

Is he a winger or centre and who’s rated higher between him and Kali? Thx

 

[Five&Last]

Is he a winger or centre and who’s rated higher between him and Kali? Thx

HTI is a wing.

Kali is top shelf talent. They'll always find a spot for him in NSW cup. Notice that he never sticks around long in Flegg.

 

[CWC]

HTI is a wing.

Kali is top shelf talent. They'll always find a spot for him in NSW cup. Notice that he never sticks around long in Flegg.

Thanks
Kali is always injured so maybe others have a better shot by staying on the field, we will see who comes out on top

 

[Five&Last]

Thanks
Kali is always injured so maybe others have a better shot by staying on the field, we will see who comes out on top

For sure

The only reason he’s in the same discussion with these guys is due to the injuries though

Kali without the injuries is probably the same level as TSS maybe even close to Laban level. In that he would’ve 100% debuted already and would be in and out of the first grade side depending injuries/form etc

 

[The Warrior Waka]

Harry Tauafiafi-Iutoi is just rated higher than Brandon Norris. That's the facts.

Someone spotted it a while ago when HTI was getting 18th man call ups to cup, but now he's had 3 consecutive starts in cup. I think Norris is extremely talented but he has to overtake Harry Tauafiafi-Iutoi, Sio Kali and Jeremiah Lemana to get to cup.

Harry is so mature for his age too. Reads the game well. Wish he had centres that can put him in some space.

 

[Defence]

Its pretty exciting to see Bishop Neal, Joseph Ratcliffe and Brandon Norris tracking like they are. They would add X-Factor to our NRL squad in time.

Brandon Norris is an out and out gun. He is outrageously talented and I must admit I am surprised the Warriors haven't given him a sniff of NSW cup yet because the kid may be just about the most natural talent I have ever seen produced on the wing at the club. The only thing I wonder is perhaps he is not signed long term so they are hesitant to over invest in him now. I would do everything to hold on to him. GUN.

Interesting question if you had to choose to lose one and keep one of the following players who would it be?

Motu Pasikala vs. Sio Kali

Id be keeping Kali- he’s class.

 

[Five&Last]

Harry is so mature for his age too. Reads the game well. Wish he had centres that can put him in some space.

Anyone got idea on his background? Not much available on him, just randomly showed up in our Flegg side and I think he was just playing club rugby union prior to that. Certainly not same background as Kali who's made basically every rep side possible in both codes.