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    2026 squad

    Props - 4 positions in the playing 17
    - 5 specific props, 1 depth prop
    - Barnett, fish, ford, Demetric, tanner
    - We are short here unless some edges play middle rotation, need to recruit one.

    Locks - 1 position in the playing 17
    2 specific locks, 1 depth
    - Clark, Gannon
    - satisfactory squad allocation

    Hookers - 1 or 2 depending on tactics in the 17
    - 3 hookers, 1-2 depth
    - Egan, Healey, lussick
    - satisfactory squad depth

    Edges - 3 positions in the playing 17
    - 6 edges, 3 depth (depending on eit/marata playing middle)
    - Capewell, Leka, niukore, Laban, eit, kayliss
    - over prescribed here, unless eit/niukore plays a bench middle role. Need to release one or two.

    Halves - 2 positions in playing 17
    - 5 halves, 3 depth, including development contract
    - Metcalf, CHT, TMM, Boyd, linnane, Cleary (dev)
    - over prescribed here but TMM been playing 14. Need to release one.

    Centres - 2 positions playing 17
    -3 centre's, 1 depth
    - Pompey, Berry, ali
    - lack depth here desperately. Can’t keep moving Capewell to centre, not up to it. Need to recruit.

    Wingers - 2 positions in playing 17
    - 3 wingers, 1 depth
    - roger, DWZ, haizyn
    - lack depth here, can play taine out of position if needed. Need to recruit.

    Fullbacks - 1 position in 17
    - 2 fullbacks, 1 depth
    - cnk, taine
    - satisfactory squad depth

    Analysis:

    We are short 1 middle, 1 centre, 1 winger. We’re over prescribed in the halves, and edge back row. Flexibility in the middle with EIT & Niukore able to shift to middle, so can get away with current depth. Desperately need another outside back, as cannot afford to put capes at centre. We’re 1 injury away from this & given the health status of both Berry & Ali (our 2nd/3rd best centres), this is of immediate attention.

    Recruitment focus:
    - We need to move on from niukore, and Capewell in 2027. Back the young players to solidify the edges, with more talent coming through every year.

    - we need to offload 1-2 halves, TMM and/or Boyd going into 27. Linnane on a 3 year deal & Cleary to be promoted to top 30.

    - we need to recruit a young, experienced middle with upside potential, Moale fits this bill. With fish & barnett not getting any younger & our development props still years away we need to recruit externally.

    - our squad balance is out of whack, with our edges hugely over prescribed, half’s too, & centres desperately lack depth, going into 2026, & 2027. With both wingers the wrong side of 30, we need to identify another experienced winger to bring in, or promote kali & back him. Probably both. Roger likely gone in 2027 (our best winger).
     
    Niukore is just blocking the talent coming through. The most I'd be offering is 180k-200k one year extension.

    Capewell can go as well. I'd still like to keep his leadership around. But if he's willing to move to NZ, he'd be willing to move to Perth and he'd use that as leverage I think. He has more value for a team like Perth as a culture setter and they would be willing to pay for that imo. Plus the fact that he was SOO this year boosts his negotiating power. He is getting old as well, regression isn't a gradual thing in most cases, one minute they're good and the next they are completely washed up. Thanks for your service Capes.

    I think we'll be fine in 2027 without both of them.
     
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    IMO Niukore is blocking valuable game time for some of our juniors.
    Experience is great to have but the player has to make the team on merit.
    He is our least penetrative runner and doesn't bang on D like he used to.
    I challenge anyone to name all the positives that he has brought this year and why he should be retained.
    Even at half his supposed salary he would be grossly overpaid.
    If Webby continues to pick up then this is his role. I would have him as a starting prop to go all in for the first 20, fold some c**** and then get out of the way and thats only because Barney, Ford and Laban are out.
     
    I feel the backline is still way to bland to be a threat next year. Really need Ali and Berry to have standout seasons next year.

    Our forwards depth is developing nicely but our backline needs a bit of a revamp. Maybe thats the way Webby wants it though as he continues to play the conservative, possession based territorial game (not deriding it as it has won us more games than the team on paper should get).
     
    Warriorsfan92 said:
    Is he a good player?
    Click to expand...
    I think so. But you aren't allowed to say that without people getting silly and claiming you think he is the next super star.

    If he was a local kiwi kid the same critics who haven't even seen the bloke would be gagging,

    One thing he does really well and often, is when the half back is looking for runners he is hitting that line at full pace and at the gap. That takes vision and timing, and confidence.

    The other thing the others can't do that he does is look to for support on the break and finish with an accurate pass.
     
    JustLikeStartingOver said:
    Found this season quite weird, it’s established a few things:
    1. Webster is the real thing, keep him for as long as he wants to stay, never let him get to the last year of his deal
    2. Young forwards are the real thing, just need luck with injury.
    3. There is a risk that our pack next year is four old guys on the decline, three young guys going through ups and downs and only Clark in the prime of his career.
    4. Metcalf has it (or enough of it to lock him down)
    5. CHT, CNK and Egan are good professionals and tradesmen, but we aren’t winning a comp without at least one more spine player that can generate attack.
    6. Roger has years left as a winger if he wants to keep doing that role
    7. The other three outside back spots are completely up for grabs, Pompey is great to have around, but he’s not a lock in.
    8. We either can’t attract high profile players, or aren’t really trying to. Every signing is either a youth or a temporary fill in. Even our likely POTY, was going to be a benchie and Jazz replacement at the time they signed him.
    9. This long term view is smart to ensure we are consistent finals team, it will be frustrating for those who live and die with every game, that they either can’t or won’t do shorter, expensive deals to get a gun OB or a unit of a prop.
    Basically set up to be hovering around 4-8 for a long time, is that what people want though? Will they want more? Will Alpha want more? As bad as the post ivan years have been – I’ll certainly take it.
    Click to expand...
    Excellent summary! 👏
    We are enjoying the best ownership and management combo we've ever had. We have become a genuine NRL footy club across the board. Coaching and development is top notch. We now have all the makings of a successful dynasty club. If we hang around the top 4 often enough, our first Premiership will finally come - and sooner than later. Achievement is above what I believed was possible for this season no matter what happens from here on in...

    Looking to next year: Despite the misfortune with key injuries, effort and work ethic is now established at new benchmarks. I reckon we missed Mitch more on the field than we generally gave credit for - both in game contribution in the middle, but also in direction and leadership in decisive moments. This year's results also tell us that the next investment has to be in outright speed. Speed and aerial capability. We have strong and powerful horses but not yet fast horses. True, Metcalf is quick, but we need that speed from deeper and wider. Defence has been remarkable all season (well after the Vegas game at least) but we have struggled to turn attacking field position into points all year. Seems to me that is what the next development layer needs to be, to round out our threat and capability and make next year even better than this one. Fast horses. The Eels did serve us a lesson on what speed can do last week, and Manly are well placed to underline that this weekend. That is the clues to what the priorities are for recruitment to go on from here. This year has been amongst the very best seasons to be a fan since this all began 30 years ago. And it is clear that the best is yet to come. There is cause for optimism and we're on our way.
     
    Found this season quite weird, it’s established a few things:
    1. Webster is the real thing, keep him for as long as he wants to stay, never let him get to the last year of his deal
    2. Young forwards are the real thing, just need luck with injury.
    3. There is a risk that our pack next year is four old guys on the decline, three young guys going through ups and downs and only Clark in the prime of his career.
    4. Metcalf has it (or enough of it to lock him down)
    5. CHT, CNK and Egan are good professionals and tradesmen, but we aren’t winning a comp without at least one more spine player that can generate attack.
    6. Roger has years left as a winger if he wants to keep doing that role
    7. The other three outside back spots are completely up for grabs, Pompey is great to have around, but he’s not a lock in.
    8. We either can’t attract high profile players, or aren’t really trying to. Every signing is either a youth or a temporary fill in. Even our likely POTY, was going to be a benchie and Jazz replacement at the time they signed him.
    9. This long term view is smart to ensure we are consistent finals team, it will be frustrating for those who live and die with every game, that they either can’t or won’t do shorter, expensive deals to get a gun OB or a unit of a prop.
    Basically set up to be hovering around 4-8 for a long time, is that what people want though? Will they want more? Will Alpha want more? As bad as the post ivan years have been – I’ll certainly take it.
     
    Rest none, we can’t afford it.

    Melb and Dogs favourites to win this weekend and we need them to, as well as take care of Manly Friday which will be tough enough for us in its own right.

    Top four gives us a free hit at the Canberra which I wouldn’t rule out just quietly.

    We have to be gunning for that. In the unlikely event we win it everyone can rest before we play the GF qualifier.

    Lose it and we have a game at home a week later anyway.

    Clear we have to be all in Friday night and Lady Luck does the rest.
     
    Davvy is only 22 with 70 games of first grade played! Can’t quite understand those saying that he is not good/not worth it. His best years are still ahead of him! Pretty much every player who has come to the club in recent years has evolved to another level under Webby. With us losing 2 fringe FG props, it’s pretty crucial we sign another this offseason. Our prop depth is pretty dire as it is.
     
    We are in 6th position with a roster that's probably middle of the pack. Webby is doing a great job and with our junior pathways i believe we will be a perennial top 4 contender for years to come. I'd like to see Webby here for the long haul ala a Bellamy or Bennet at the Broncs. Just gotta work on that interchange strategy 😉
     
    Naynay said:
    Yeah just gotta look at the next step really, less focus on winning a comp at the moment and becoming a consistent top 8 / 4 team, if we win a comp in the next 5 years we probably look back at 2025 as the foundation for it. So the focus needs to be on laying it now
    Click to expand...
    If you look at premiership winners historically, the majority have been making at least preliminary finals in the 2 or 3 years before winning the big one. As long as we are trending as finalists consistently, we'll have a year where it all works out. It's a 25/26 round comp and getting through that relatively unscathed is the hardest part.
    So I 100% agree as you say, hopefully we'll look back at the 25'season as a cornerstone year.
    Very hard watching knowing it likely won't be this year though, but keeping the faith in the club actually seems viable atm and not the masochistic fantasy it has been in the past.
     
    I looked back through the historical odds to see how we went against the odds this season.
    It looks like we're finishing pretty bang on what was expected as the unexpected wins and losses are equal on 5.
    • Expected Wins - 9 - Roosters, Knights, Dragons, Dolphins, Rabbitohs, Tigers, Knights, Dragons, Titans
    • Unexpected Wins - 5 - Sea Eagles, Tigers, Broncos, Cowboys, Sharks (Round 2, 4, 7, 9, 14)
    • Expected Losses - 4 - Storm, Broncos, Dolphins, Bulldogs
    • Unexpected Losses - 5 - Raiders, Raiders, Panthers, Titans, Eels (Round 1, 12, 16, 21, 26)
    Worst performance - Paying $1.20 to win vs Panthers B team in Round 16, and lost.
    Best performance - Paying $3.51 to win vs Manly in Round 2, and won.

    I think this backs up how much of a loss Barnett was, as he was present for 4 unexpected wins and only 1 unexpected loss (first game of the season in Las Vegas)*. We've only had 1 unexpected win without Barnett (v Sharks Round 14).

    * Edit: I missed that Barnett was out for the second Raiders game for State of Origin, and originally said he was there for both Raiders losses.
     
    Last edited:
    Thought long and hard about the loss to the Eels and this is where I land.
    After watching their game against the Roosters I knew we were never going to win it - some teams (usually the ones with the elite halfs like Moses) play like they know what they're doing. Their tries come from good simple hole running and support play. Not flashy or rehersed shapes and block plays like ours. They have good direction around the field, and they defend like its just business.

    While I don't really hold out much hope for the rest of this season - we've really overachieved again - the DNA is taking shape. Gone are the hopeless days of being also-rans, predictable and fundamentally poor - where good coaches would kill us with a good gameplan (first titans game and raiders round 1 notwithstanding)

    There are definitely clear improvements made in this iteration of the Warriors, and you can see how its going to improve. The DNA is there, we are developing the right kind of players, and we are competitive in the mean time. So all good - this season has been a success at the cost of a couple of ACLs.

    While of course the fan in me wants them to be top-4, winning games, title contenders etc. The footballer in me can see we just don't have the right players to get there YET - even if Luke and Barney were fit. But we're getting (finals) experience into the guys who will be seniors when we do eventually win it - and we have the most promising juniors in the league. It's a matter of when, not if.

    It does go to show however, that a player like Mitch Moses can make an average team a contender. The boot, the vision and the competitiveness. No shade on Tanah Boyd, but we're not winning anything with him running the team.
     
    Each to their own but I don't think that currently sitting in 4th is a strong enough reason to not look to improve the coaching staff. We're 0W-4L against the top 3, 3W-6L against the top 8 and only have had 1 win over a playoff bound team since Round 7. Recipients of a very favourable draw this season
     
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