So we can expect a new home and away jersey. No idea on what that looks like but the new range will be released November 5th. That's all I know...
Highlighted posts
When Barney came over to us, people forget that he was massively damaged goods. He had a reputation as a bit of a loose cannon who spent more time on the sidelines than actually on the field. A bit like Mad Jack who Newcastle eventually signed as well. Webby turned him into the middle who now effectively has a lock on a starting position in NSW origin and is the spiritual leader of our club. If he stayed at Newcastle, I've got no doubt he'd be finishing up now in super league given the way that club has deteriorated. If ever there was an example of the webby effect, it's Barney.
Have to politely disagree sir. While both were decent, they've gone to another level. Barnett one of the first picked for Origin this year, and Kangaroos when earlier I don't think he had ever been considered. Same as Clark - we bought the best lock in the game this year, likely for interchange player money. They've gone another level. Although Barney I think got an extension, probably at a higher rate.
Also, I was looking at AKP's stats, and while they're pretty bad (2.0 missed a game), the standard for most wingers look to be 0.8-1.5 missed tackles, with Roger exceptional at 0.6 missed tackles a game. He only needs to improve a small amount to come back to the middle of the pack, he's never gunna be the top defender but hopefully he can get to around where most wingers are, with the huge upside of being a fast try scorer
People that want DWZ released are horribly short sighted, we don't have the depth at wing to just let him go.
I would love that to happen for Kalani.
EXCLUSIVE: 2025 NSW Cup Player of the Year on radar of rival club
He led the New Zealand Warriors to the double in 2025.www.zerotackle.com
Panthers interested in Kalani Going. They love a Warriors forward at the moment
He was the hear soul effort and leader of our Nsw cup team in 25.
He has great attitude and commitment.
The most exciting things for me on this is that he really wants to be at the club and has an dialled in mindset and commitment to growth, not just a big kid playing against smaller ones.
Bishop Neal: The Christchurch teen chasing his Warriors NRL dream
NZ Herald
13 Oct, 2025 07:31 PM7 mins to read
League sensation Bishop Neal with mother Betsy Neal and father Trevor Neal.
Bishop Neal is one of rugby league’s most exciting prospects. His athleticism, skills and demeanour led to him being chosen for the Warriors Under-17 side who were back-to-back winners in one of the NRL’s most important pathway competitions. Jordan Smith reports on what the journey looked like from the beginning....
I knew up-and-coming rugby league player Bishop Neal stood at 194cm and weighed 113 kg.
But arriving at the Neal family home, it was staggering to see how much he dominated the space inside the doorframes.
It made it even harder to believe he had only turned 17 in May.
After an hour-long interview with the young man and his family however, it became clear natural ability and size were only one part of the picture. His accomplishments have been earned through hard work and a lifelong love of the game.
“I’ve always loved footy. I used to always sleep with a rugby ball in my hand – that was my teddy,” Bishop Neal says.
His mum Betsy Neal said little Bishop would keep a journal detailing his future plans.
“He would write in his little journals that ‘I want to be a rugby player’ and about what he would do on the field,” she says.
Dad Trevor Neal describes his son constantly repeating the “B for ball” page in his alphabet book.
“He’d be just standing there when I’m coming home from work in the nappy just going ‘ball’,” he says.
That love for the game only grew with age. Betsy Neal would record his junior club games so he could watch and analyse them – a habit that’s akin to much older players.
“He would watch it all week over and over again. He’d come up to us saying ‘if I stepped off my right foot, I could’ve done that’. He does that every single game he plays,” Betsy Neal says.
“I just thought it was normal,” she says.
Like any kid, Neal’s involvement in league came from the pure enjoyment it provided.
The first time he came to people’s attention was after playing in a weekend-long Under-15s Kotahitanga league tournament at 14, where he was mostly there to support a friend who was feeling nervous about taking part.
Straight afterwards, Trevor and Betsy Neal began to field calls left and right. Bishop’s St Thomas of Canterbury principal Steve Hart called to say: “’I don’t know what happened this weekend at the tournament but everyone’s calling me about Bishop’.”
Approaches were coming thick and fast from NRL clubs and their agents.
Attention like this can be difficult for youngsters, particularly in the age of social media.
But this hasn’t been a problem for Neal and his siblings, who face a blanket rule of no cellphones and no social media until they turn 18.
Betsy Neal says social media is “an awesome tool”, but didn’t want to see it dilute the effort her son or any of their children gave in their passions, with Trevor Neal adding it allowed them to develop “a stronger sense of identity” by avoiding the noise social media creates.
While he remains off social media, an exception has been made for Neal when it comes to a phone, due to spending time training in Auckland.
“It was just hard not having a phone. They [the Warriors] had to message the house parent I was staying with to tell me stuff and then I had to tell him to tell them,” Neal says.
Back in Christchurch, St Thomas’ league coach and deputy principal Andrew Auimatagi first met Neal at 14. He describes the second-rower as supremely gifted physically, but also emotionally mature beyond his years in a way he’s never seen before.
“Even in those tense moments, you won’t see Bishop rattled. He’s quite consistent with his emotions; I don’t think we’ve ever seen him flip out so I think that’s a real superpower of his.”
Being the player everybody wants in their side has created a seemingly exhausting schedule at times, spanning both rugby league and union.
“It didn’t feel like it was heaps to me. [Like] Mum and Dad, said I love being active, so I like being at training,” Neal says.
Betsy Neal even says training would be used as a disciplining tool and if he didn’t clean his room, he wouldn’t be able to go.
“Within two minutes, the room was clean, so he’s always been good like that.”
The raw talent combined with a staggering work ethic meant it was merely a matter of when, not if, the Warriors reached out.
As well as it being Neal’s life-long dream to wear the Warriors jersey, club CEO and general manager Cameron George’s promise of a spot in the U17 Harold Matthews side sealed the deal, amidst Australian clubs flying the Neal’s out for weeklong visits.
“Other clubs didn’t have an Under-17 team so would’ve gone over [to Australia], played school footy or something else. So, I thought ‘that’d be mean playing Under-17s in the Warriors kit and all that’”, Neal says.
Even before signing with the club, he was invited by George to train with the S.G. Ball (U19) side for two weeks in the summer of 2022-2023, at only 14.
The following summer expanded on that experience and had him stationed in Auckland for three months, training with the first-grade side.
That continued the over last summer and was coupled with the entire U17 Harold Matthews campaign, ending in May this year.
Training alongside idols he used to watch on repeat is a feeling Neal describes as “buzzy as”, and while it’s now slightly easier, spending time with Roger Tuivasa-Sheck still catches him out.
“He was the main dude I would watch before my games. [Now] walking with him to the field, I’ll be talking to him and then I would just be like, ‘damn, it’s Roger’.” Through those summers, Warriors head of junior pathways Tony Iro got to understand Neal on and off the field, noting the step up to professional footy is “brutal”.
“From a physical perspective, he’s got everything that an NRL player needs but that’s probably only half of what is required to continue playing at that level,” Iro says.
“Bishop’s a talented footballer but you need more than that to progress. You need to be able to work hard. You need to show some toughness.”
Even at 15, Iro described Neal as a natural leader that boys are “prepared to follow” and believes he certainly has the tools and the drive to reach his goals.
That drive for Neal comes back to the sacrifices his parents have made and continue to make in supporting him.
“My parents are the best,” he says.
“It sounds so cliché but taking me to all my trainings and everything ... probably don’t thank them enough.”
As well emphasising strong family and friends connections, Neal says he’s a devout Christian and has a passion for music, having produced six songs with his schoolmates, including Warriors teammate Lennox Tuiloma.
Having those off-field interests was emphasised by legendary coach Wayne Bennett.
He said it was important for the youngster “to still be a kid”, as the professional environment happens fast, Betsy Neal says, recounting a conversation she had with Bennett.
It’s clear Neal is hardwired for one thing however – making his footy dreams come true.
“It’s just the way I am and the way I think – I’m gonna make my Plan A work.”
“If the footy pops off, that’s awesome, but whether he does or not, he’s going to be a solid-as dude,” Trevor Neal adds.
Looking forward, the moving boxes piled up in the Neal house show a family that’s committed to supporting their youngest in his professional journey and ready to make the move from Christchurch to their new home in Auckland.
“It’s just cool seeing a kid doing what they love,” Betsy Neal says.
“As a parent, that’s my baby still running around, except now he’s not doing it in the hallways and in the backyard. He’s doing [it] on the field, in the Warriors’ colours.”
I expect AKP to get a lot of work under the high ball in the off season. If he can't take them, he won't be in first grade.
17th, 14th, 14th have been the Titans defensive rank for points scored the last 3 years. That's not because of one winger and if anything wingers and centres cop the short end of the stick trying to cover up for breakdowns in the middle. We'll see how he looks in our D line.
His upside makes him well worth the punt. A different environment, a different club, structure etc. Maybe it's fools gold, but he wouldn't be the first player given up on who finds a new lease on life at a different club either.
17th, 14th, 14th have been the Titans defensive rank for points scored the last 3 years. That's not because of one winger and if anything wingers and centres cop the short end of the stick trying to cover up for breakdowns in the middle. We'll see how he looks in our D line.
His upside makes him well worth the punt. A different environment, a different club, structure etc. Maybe it's fools gold, but he wouldn't be the first player given up on who finds a new lease on life at a different club either.
Bishop Neal: The Christchurch teen chasing his Warriors NRL dream
NZ Herald13 Oct, 2025 07:31 PM7 mins to read
League sensation Bishop Neal with mother Betsy Neal and father Trevor Neal.
Bishop Neal is one of rugby league’s most exciting prospects. His athleticism, skills and demeanour led to him being chosen for the Warriors Under-17 side who were back-to-back winners in one of the NRL’s most important pathway competitions. Jordan Smith reports on what the journey looked like from the beginning....
I knew up-and-coming rugby league player Bishop Neal stood at 194cm and weighed 113 kg.
But arriving at the Neal family home, it was staggering to see how much he dominated the space inside the doorframes.
It made it even harder to believe he had only turned 17 in May.
After an hour-long interview with the young man and his family however, it became clear natural ability and size were only one part of the picture. His accomplishments have been earned through hard work and a lifelong love of the game.
“I’ve always loved footy. I used to always sleep with a rugby ball in my hand – that was my teddy,” Bishop Neal says.
His mum Betsy Neal said little Bishop would keep a journal detailing his future plans.
“He would write in his little journals that ‘I want to be a rugby player’ and about what he would do on the field,” she says.
Dad Trevor Neal describes his son constantly repeating the “B for ball” page in his alphabet book.
“He’d be just standing there when I’m coming home from work in the nappy just going ‘ball’,” he says.
That love for the game only grew with age. Betsy Neal would record his junior club games so he could watch and analyse them – a habit that’s akin to much older players.
“He would watch it all week over and over again. He’d come up to us saying ‘if I stepped off my right foot, I could’ve done that’. He does that every single game he plays,” Betsy Neal says.
“I just thought it was normal,” she says.
Like any kid, Neal’s involvement in league came from the pure enjoyment it provided.
The first time he came to people’s attention was after playing in a weekend-long Under-15s Kotahitanga league tournament at 14, where he was mostly there to support a friend who was feeling nervous about taking part.
Straight afterwards, Trevor and Betsy Neal began to field calls left and right. Bishop’s St Thomas of Canterbury principal Steve Hart called to say: “’I don’t know what happened this weekend at the tournament but everyone’s calling me about Bishop’.”
Approaches were coming thick and fast from NRL clubs and their agents.
Attention like this can be difficult for youngsters, particularly in the age of social media.
But this hasn’t been a problem for Neal and his siblings, who face a blanket rule of no cellphones and no social media until they turn 18.
Betsy Neal says social media is “an awesome tool”, but didn’t want to see it dilute the effort her son or any of their children gave in their passions, with Trevor Neal adding it allowed them to develop “a stronger sense of identity” by avoiding the noise social media creates.
While he remains off social media, an exception has been made for Neal when it comes to a phone, due to spending time training in Auckland.
“It was just hard not having a phone. They [the Warriors] had to message the house parent I was staying with to tell me stuff and then I had to tell him to tell them,” Neal says.
Back in Christchurch, St Thomas’ league coach and deputy principal Andrew Auimatagi first met Neal at 14. He describes the second-rower as supremely gifted physically, but also emotionally mature beyond his years in a way he’s never seen before.
“Even in those tense moments, you won’t see Bishop rattled. He’s quite consistent with his emotions; I don’t think we’ve ever seen him flip out so I think that’s a real superpower of his.”
Being the player everybody wants in their side has created a seemingly exhausting schedule at times, spanning both rugby league and union.
“It didn’t feel like it was heaps to me. [Like] Mum and Dad, said I love being active, so I like being at training,” Neal says.
Betsy Neal even says training would be used as a disciplining tool and if he didn’t clean his room, he wouldn’t be able to go.
“Within two minutes, the room was clean, so he’s always been good like that.”
The raw talent combined with a staggering work ethic meant it was merely a matter of when, not if, the Warriors reached out.
As well as it being Neal’s life-long dream to wear the Warriors jersey, club CEO and general manager Cameron George’s promise of a spot in the U17 Harold Matthews side sealed the deal, amidst Australian clubs flying the Neal’s out for weeklong visits.
“Other clubs didn’t have an Under-17 team so would’ve gone over [to Australia], played school footy or something else. So, I thought ‘that’d be mean playing Under-17s in the Warriors kit and all that’”, Neal says.
Even before signing with the club, he was invited by George to train with the S.G. Ball (U19) side for two weeks in the summer of 2022-2023, at only 14.
The following summer expanded on that experience and had him stationed in Auckland for three months, training with the first-grade side.
That continued the over last summer and was coupled with the entire U17 Harold Matthews campaign, ending in May this year.
Training alongside idols he used to watch on repeat is a feeling Neal describes as “buzzy as”, and while it’s now slightly easier, spending time with Roger Tuivasa-Sheck still catches him out.
“He was the main dude I would watch before my games. [Now] walking with him to the field, I’ll be talking to him and then I would just be like, ‘damn, it’s Roger’.” Through those summers, Warriors head of junior pathways Tony Iro got to understand Neal on and off the field, noting the step up to professional footy is “brutal”.
“From a physical perspective, he’s got everything that an NRL player needs but that’s probably only half of what is required to continue playing at that level,” Iro says.
“Bishop’s a talented footballer but you need more than that to progress. You need to be able to work hard. You need to show some toughness.”
Even at 15, Iro described Neal as a natural leader that boys are “prepared to follow” and believes he certainly has the tools and the drive to reach his goals.
That drive for Neal comes back to the sacrifices his parents have made and continue to make in supporting him.
“My parents are the best,” he says.
“It sounds so cliché but taking me to all my trainings and everything ... probably don’t thank them enough.”
As well emphasising strong family and friends connections, Neal says he’s a devout Christian and has a passion for music, having produced six songs with his schoolmates, including Warriors teammate Lennox Tuiloma.
Having those off-field interests was emphasised by legendary coach Wayne Bennett.
He said it was important for the youngster “to still be a kid”, as the professional environment happens fast, Betsy Neal says, recounting a conversation she had with Bennett.
It’s clear Neal is hardwired for one thing however – making his footy dreams come true.
“It’s just the way I am and the way I think – I’m gonna make my Plan A work.”
“If the footy pops off, that’s awesome, but whether he does or not, he’s going to be a solid-as dude,” Trevor Neal adds.
Looking forward, the moving boxes piled up in the Neal house show a family that’s committed to supporting their youngest in his professional journey and ready to make the move from Christchurch to their new home in Auckland.
“It’s just cool seeing a kid doing what they love,” Betsy Neal says.
“As a parent, that’s my baby still running around, except now he’s not doing it in the hallways and in the backyard. He’s doing [it] on the field, in the Warriors’ colours.”
Fans are rarely wrong about their teams players.
Titans fans were all proven correct that Clark was a big loss and Boyd was a good back up, not much more.
Majority are glad to see the back of AKP which suggests him turning up and killing it is unlikely.
That being said, Webby has shown his players improve under him. AKP needs a lot of improvement, so a steady uptick is not necessarily enough.
I'm excited by the possibility and to be fair even more ecstatic that the management of the club are seeing what we see.
The club is steamrolling in the right direction. I don't think I ever really expected the club would get itself into the position that it's in.
Every single area seems to be excelling, recruitment across both mens and womens, junior pathways, club financials, brand prescence. We're nailing everything and this plays into recruitment too.
Titans fans were all proven correct that Clark was a big loss and Boyd was a good back up, not much more.
Majority are glad to see the back of AKP which suggests him turning up and killing it is unlikely.
That being said, Webby has shown his players improve under him. AKP needs a lot of improvement, so a steady uptick is not necessarily enough.
I'm excited by the possibility and to be fair even more ecstatic that the management of the club are seeing what we see.
The club is steamrolling in the right direction. I don't think I ever really expected the club would get itself into the position that it's in.
Every single area seems to be excelling, recruitment across both mens and womens, junior pathways, club financials, brand prescence. We're nailing everything and this plays into recruitment too.
AKP had a really good combination with Taine in the Burleigh bears team in Queensland cup in 2022 Taine put AKP in space for a number of long distance tries.
Welcome Khan-Pereirwah
Titans speedster Khan-Pereira joins Warriors on three-year deal
Gold Coast winger Alofiana Khan-Pereira joins One New Zealand Warriors on three-year deal.
www.warriors.kiwi
3 years for AKP
Came across under 18s union NZ v Aus 2025 game on YouTube while scrolling, figured Harry Inch might of played in last year's game so searched it out, and indeed he was playing, he played off the bench and was subbed on in about the 50th minute, looked like he was playing fullback, he caught a couple of high kicks under huge pressure in slippery conditions , his defense looked solid as, the few chances he had running he hit the line hard could easily see him making breaks, his kicking was a bit sus but that's because catching the ball on the full in union you can take it on the mark... My breakdown he deserves all the praise he had been getting from union circles and no wonder they disappointed... League would showcase his skillset better, give him more opportunities with ball in hand, I can see him slipping into league with ease
A spine of Healy Cleary linnane and Inch has massive potential. Feels like the right strategy, get them all young and develop together
What about the Physique on him! boys gonna be a monster after a couple of preseasons so can understand the calls to play him at lock but seems a waste to me- look at the way he moves.
I’m really impressed and to hear about the toughness- that’s the icing on the cake.
I can see a bit of a young jack Wighton there- big ball running 5/8 with a huge boot and can hit like a backrower.
Very exciting.
I’m really impressed and to hear about the toughness- that’s the icing on the cake.
I can see a bit of a young jack Wighton there- big ball running 5/8 with a huge boot and can hit like a backrower.
Very exciting.
On Inch by Crusaders assistant coach James Marshall
“He’s so tough. He’s just not afraid of anything. He’s a farmer, [with] farmer strength. He beats all the boys in the wrestles in the gym and he’s just a kid out of school,”
www.nzherald.co.nz
“He’s so tough. He’s just not afraid of anything. He’s a farmer, [with] farmer strength. He beats all the boys in the wrestles in the gym and he’s just a kid out of school,”
'Gutted': Tasman loses rising star to NRL move
Inch had featured in the Crusaders' pre-season, impressing alongside James O’Connor.
Berry was top 30 by the time he's the age Inch will be next year (Berry was development contract first year out of school then top 30 the year after) and Crosby is nowhere near the same talent level.
Sometime's top 30 is the carrot you have to dangle to attract talent of this calibre. It's not necessarily an indication of how good they are right now. Think of it as an investment more than anything. You have to wonder with quotes about him knocking us back before and us being extremely persistent with chasing him.
Joey Walsh, Mitch Woods, Colby Black were all top 30 halves this year at 18-19 years old despite obviously not being NRL ready yet.
Wow what an absolutely pivotal signing Harry Inch is.
Can we somehow pin that news so people don't miss it over the AKP chatter
To get a player of his potential in the halves is unbelievable.
Elite kicking game, elite running game, elite playmaking/passing
Just needs to learn the intricacies of being a half and managing a game (won't be easy).
He has all the makings a future $1m half if he can put it together.
I wonder what the contract looks like, I doubt he would move away from Crusaders pathway for anything less than a development contract with the intention of getting him a first grade game or two at some point next year?
I think this also shows a shift in philosophy on NZ RL halves. The club recognises that NZ just will not ever produce rugby league halves at a junior level (something that he's been discussed since the end of time on this forum). Gone are the days of putting all our eggs in the CHT, Ata Hingano basket. We're looking to Australia (Jack Thompson, Luke Metcalf, Jye Linnane) or looking to NZ rugby union (Harry Inch, Tusa Sogia). The only decent RL junior half we have yet to debut is Tyson Hansen and some would argue he'll develop into more of a lock than a half.
Can we somehow pin that news so people don't miss it over the AKP chatter
To get a player of his potential in the halves is unbelievable.
Elite kicking game, elite running game, elite playmaking/passing
Just needs to learn the intricacies of being a half and managing a game (won't be easy).
He has all the makings a future $1m half if he can put it together.
I wonder what the contract looks like, I doubt he would move away from Crusaders pathway for anything less than a development contract with the intention of getting him a first grade game or two at some point next year?
I think this also shows a shift in philosophy on NZ RL halves. The club recognises that NZ just will not ever produce rugby league halves at a junior level (something that he's been discussed since the end of time on this forum). Gone are the days of putting all our eggs in the CHT, Ata Hingano basket. We're looking to Australia (Jack Thompson, Luke Metcalf, Jye Linnane) or looking to NZ rugby union (Harry Inch, Tusa Sogia). The only decent RL junior half we have yet to debut is Tyson Hansen and some would argue he'll develop into more of a lock than a half.
I’m absolutely stunned we got Harry Inch. Kid is a gun!! This is a massive get for the club.
Now AKP signed as well. A great Saturday morning.