Will be interesting to see how they use him this year? Seemed like Webster was leaning towards him not playing 80 minutes, so potentially off the bench for impact?
General Warriors Preseason 2026
- Thread starter WahsaurusRex
- Start date
NZWarriors.com
I was leaning into the idea of him being a centre to be honest. Almost too agile to be a backrower if that makes sense. Bulking up puts that plan to be bed though.
Playing 80 in the forwards is a real art, you need to know when to drop your energy a bit and rest. Cam Smith was a master of timing. Not many can do this well early in their career
Leiataua too looks bigger I reckon, particularly biceps
NZWarriors.com
He looked bigger to me when he came back to Cup end of last year, I assumed he'd put on some weight during rehab. These photos could be deceptive though.
I think that was to also try and manage his mins. Can he play 80 mins in a game? Yes. Can he do that for a whole season? Probably not yet.
I think Webby gave him more game time last year (due to the injuries) than what he initially planned. I think they want to condition Leka and Demitric (and the other young forwards) so they can be consistent with their performances. Hard to go from cup to playing big mins in a season (and still produce most weeks).
Whether he played more than expected or not, he was our highest try scorer and won us a couple of games with moments of his own, he has impact and X factor so I’ll be interested to see how they use him? I’m not convinced the team is picked yet and a couple of surprises could come out of preseason like our halves were last year
NZWarriors.com
Also he and the other young bucks are still emerging in their careers. I wouldn't like to see them flogged like the Dragons did to their young forward who was flogged and playing injured. Couchman if I recall rightly. Patience will yield even better from Leka and co.
The irony of your post is top notch
NZWarriors.com
New Zealand Warriors 2026 NRL season scouting report: Best 17, contract statuses, rookie watch
If anything, the Warriors must learn to play with more resilience this season to be considered a genuine premiership contender.
That isn’t an intended cheap shot.
The major injury omissions of Luke Metcalf and Mitchell Barnett to torn ACLs for a large majority of last year was a mountain that few teams would be able to conquer.
And yes, the addition of speed on the wing with Alofiana Khan-Pereira (Titans) and punch in the back row with Morgan Gannon (Leeds) are two smart buys.
However, with the Warriors boasting some of the best young talent in the game, it’s now about the next-generation of stars learning how to grind during the arduous 2026 season.
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Is this the Warriors' best 17?
Free agency wrap & rating
The priority from the moment the 2025 season curtain came down was the re-signing of starting half Luke Metcalf. A new deal takes the strike weapon out to 2028. The Warriors also identified speed out wide as an issue, resulting in the acquisition of former Titans flyer Alofiana Khan-Pereira. While the Warriors do boast plenty of talent coming through their ranks, they have let go plenty of depth players that are capable of NRL including Freddy Lussick (Panthers), Ed Kosi (Rabbitohs), Bunty Afoa (Tigers), Morgan Harper (released) and Tom Ale (Panthers).Rating: B-
WARRIORS PLAYERS OFF-CONTRACT AT THE END OF 2026
Coach status & safety rating
Two finals appearances in the past three years for head coach Andrew Webster puts the 43-year-old on safe ground, so too, his contract through until the end of 2028. However, there’s no denying that after missing the finals in 2023, the Warriors faded badly when it mattered most last season, winning just two of their last eight games. Injuries absolutely played their role, but any coach can’t afford consistent seasons of making up the numbers.Rating: B
Likely debutants
KAYLISS FATIALOFAGiven the incredible production line of NRL debutants that the Warriors unveiled last year, the fresh batch of 2026 is likely to be a lot smaller. However, promising second rower Kayliss Fatialofa will be one of them.
Fatialofa recently re-signed until the end of 2027, such is the belief in the tackle-busting 20-year-old.
Morgan Gannon is ready for his NRL leap. Picture: Instagram
MORGAN GANNON
It’s a case of welcome to the NRL to another promising English forward.
The 21-year-old back rower is about to create major competition for spots in the Warriors backrow, such is the excitement around the Yorkshire-born talent. His former club Leeds in the UK Super League made a substantial offer to keep Gannon, but he was desperate to test his worth in the NRL. Still young, so he may take time, but there’s no denying his skill-level is quality.
Who takes the next step
SAM HEALEYMoved from the Sharks to the Warriors in 2025 and finished the year a stronger footballer with seven first-grade appearances to his name. The genuine strike out of dummy-half will only benefit from his rookie year with major pressure expected to be applied to No.9 mainstay Wayde Egan.
Leka Halasima is just getting started. Picture: NRL Images.
LEKA HALASIMA
It’s almost impossible to imagine, isn’t it? How this outstanding talent, who can play centre, back row or middle forward still has so much more upside in his game. However, the fact is, Halasima is still just 20-years-old with another decade of football ahead of him.
Burning issues
DWZ v AKPIt sounds like two major banks going head-to-head. To Warriors fans, it’s just as important to their future. With Roger Tuivasa-Sheck guaranteed to start on one wing, who between Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Alofiana Khan-Pereira secures first crack on the other wing in 2026, is of major significance for the Wahs.
Watene-Zelezniak boasts experience and connection with the current Warriors squad, but there is no doubt after just 16 games, where he scored seven tries in 2025, he is under pressure from the former Titans flyer. Khan-Pereira was purchased in the off-season by the Warriors with his incredible speed the major lure. It’s hard to see how the Warriors sign AKP for three years and then play him in the NSW Cup.
Metcalf’s return will give the Warriors a much-needed boost. Picture: Hannah Peters/Getty Images
ZIP ZIP MAN
The timing of the return from a torn ACL of the man they call ‘Zippy’, Warriors halfback Luke Metcalf, is critical to the Warriors fortunes. It’s hoped that he can be back by May. You would then concede that it may take Metcalf several weeks to rediscover his timing and combination with his fellow spine members, particularly five-eighth Chanel Harris-Tavita. Metcalf was on track to take out last season’s Dally M Awards. There’s a serious footballer there, who only needs to stay healthy to do something special with the Wahs.
TAINE OR CHARNZE
Few Warriors players play with more energy and enthusiasm than fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad. He has been a constant in the Warriors backline, but would be aware that the young and fleet-footed Taine Tuaupiki is forever biting at his heels. The fullback position has become increasingly influential in today’s NRL competition, forcing Warriors coach Andrew Webster into making sure he decides who between Nicoll-Klokstad and Tuaupiki, is the best choice at the back to elevate the Warriors game.
Crystal ball
Stay healthy, play finals. That’s the equation for the Wahs. The recovery from a torn ACL of starting half Luke Metcalf is pivotal to the Warriors chances in 2026. Metcalf’s return around May makes it paramount that the Warriors find early season wins before he returns. The same can also be said about representative prop Mitchell Barnett (returning mid-June), who managed just 11 games before he suffered a torn ACL last season.Cheers for that. Hopefully they’ve got the injury timelines wrong? Thought Barnett was due back before thatNew Zealand Warriors 2026 NRL season scouting report: Best 17, contract statuses, rookie watch
If anything, the Warriors must learn to play with more resilience this season to be considered a genuine premiership contender.
That isn’t an intended cheap shot.
The major injury omissions of Luke Metcalf and Mitchell Barnett to torn ACLs for a large majority of last year was a mountain that few teams would be able to conquer.
And yes, the addition of speed on the wing with Alofiana Khan-Pereira (Titans) and punch in the back row with Morgan Gannon (Leeds) are two smart buys.
However, with the Warriors boasting some of the best young talent in the game, it’s now about the next-generation of stars learning how to grind during the arduous 2026 season.
Made with Flourish • Create a chart
Is this the Warriors' best 17?
Free agency wrap & rating
The priority from the moment the 2025 season curtain came down was the re-signing of starting half Luke Metcalf. A new deal takes the strike weapon out to 2028. The Warriors also identified speed out wide as an issue, resulting in the acquisition of former Titans flyer Alofiana Khan-Pereira. While the Warriors do boast plenty of talent coming through their ranks, they have let go plenty of depth players that are capable of NRL including Freddy Lussick (Panthers), Ed Kosi (Rabbitohs), Bunty Afoa (Tigers), Morgan Harper (released) and Tom Ale (Panthers).
Rating: B-
WARRIORS PLAYERS OFF-CONTRACT AT THE END OF 2026
Chanel Harris-Tevita Demitric Vaimauga Eddie Ieremia-Toeava Kurt Capewell Marata Niukore Rocco Berry Roger Tuivasa-Sheck Taine Tuaupiki Tanah Boyd Te Maire Martin
Coach status & safety rating
Two finals appearances in the past three years for head coach Andrew Webster puts the 43-year-old on safe ground, so too, his contract through until the end of 2028. However, there’s no denying that after missing the finals in 2023, the Warriors faded badly when it mattered most last season, winning just two of their last eight games. Injuries absolutely played their role, but any coach can’t afford consistent seasons of making up the numbers.
Rating: B
Likely debutants
KAYLISS FATIALOFA
Given the incredible production line of NRL debutants that the Warriors unveiled last year, the fresh batch of 2026 is likely to be a lot smaller. However, promising second rower Kayliss Fatialofa will be one of them.
Fatialofa recently re-signed until the end of 2027, such is the belief in the tackle-busting 20-year-old.
Morgan Gannon is ready for his NRL leap. Picture: Instagram
MORGAN GANNON
It’s a case of welcome to the NRL to another promising English forward.
The 21-year-old back rower is about to create major competition for spots in the Warriors backrow, such is the excitement around the Yorkshire-born talent. His former club Leeds in the UK Super League made a substantial offer to keep Gannon, but he was desperate to test his worth in the NRL. Still young, so he may take time, but there’s no denying his skill-level is quality.
Who takes the next step
SAM HEALEY
Moved from the Sharks to the Warriors in 2025 and finished the year a stronger footballer with seven first-grade appearances to his name. The genuine strike out of dummy-half will only benefit from his rookie year with major pressure expected to be applied to No.9 mainstay Wayde Egan.
Leka Halasima is just getting started. Picture: NRL Images.
LEKA HALASIMA
It’s almost impossible to imagine, isn’t it? How this outstanding talent, who can play centre, back row or middle forward still has so much more upside in his game. However, the fact is, Halasima is still just 20-years-old with another decade of football ahead of him.
Burning issues
DWZ v AKP
It sounds like two major banks going head-to-head. To Warriors fans, it’s just as important to their future. With Roger Tuivasa-Sheck guaranteed to start on one wing, who between Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Alofiana Khan-Pereira secures first crack on the other wing in 2026, is of major significance for the Wahs.
Watene-Zelezniak boasts experience and connection with the current Warriors squad, but there is no doubt after just 16 games, where he scored seven tries in 2025, he is under pressure from the former Titans flyer. Khan-Pereira was purchased in the off-season by the Warriors with his incredible speed the major lure. It’s hard to see how the Warriors sign AKP for three years and then play him in the NSW Cup.
Metcalf’s return will give the Warriors a much-needed boost. Picture: Hannah Peters/Getty Images
ZIP ZIP MAN
The timing of the return from a torn ACL of the man they call ‘Zippy’, Warriors halfback Luke Metcalf, is critical to the Warriors fortunes. It’s hoped that he can be back by May. You would then concede that it may take Metcalf several weeks to rediscover his timing and combination with his fellow spine members, particularly five-eighth Chanel Harris-Tavita. Metcalf was on track to take out last season’s Dally M Awards. There’s a serious footballer there, who only needs to stay healthy to do something special with the Wahs.
TAINE OR CHARNZE
Few Warriors players play with more energy and enthusiasm than fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad. He has been a constant in the Warriors backline, but would be aware that the young and fleet-footed Taine Tuaupiki is forever biting at his heels. The fullback position has become increasingly influential in today’s NRL competition, forcing Warriors coach Andrew Webster into making sure he decides who between Nicoll-Klokstad and Tuaupiki, is the best choice at the back to elevate the Warriors game.
Crystal ball
Stay healthy, play finals. That’s the equation for the Wahs. The recovery from a torn ACL of starting half Luke Metcalf is pivotal to the Warriors chances in 2026. Metcalf’s return around May makes it paramount that the Warriors find early season wins before he returns. The same can also be said about representative prop Mitchell Barnett (returning mid-June), who managed just 11 games before he suffered a torn ACL last season.
NZWarriors.com
Cos it is Demetric... I, like all other fans, will read all of these off-season reckons and either agree or disagree, won't read many for other clubs but there are even more for them ... anyway, we won't be able tell anything until we're a couple of trials in (good news, that's only a month away!) ... i'm really looking forward to this season, one where we've got a serious shot at having a shot
