Recruitment Warriors 2024/2025 Recruitment & Retention

Warriors 2024/2025 Recruitment & Retention Discussion
key: T = Team option, M = Mutual option, P = Player option, D = Development contract

Confirmed Top 30 2024: 28/30
Confirmed Development 2024: 5/6

Confirmed Top 30 2025: 25/30
Confirmed Development 2025: 1/6

2025 Gains: Nil
2025 Losses: Addin Fonua-Blake (Sharks)
 
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I reckon that Ale has real potential to develop , if given the opportunity.
Hopefully that opportunity happens at the Warriors., not at a club such as the Storm AKA Katoa.

He's always had potential, but the end of season trended downward and I think it was for things that don't really show up in stats

Big off season for him. The youngsters are getting trained a certain way with cohesion and consistency through the grades in mind. Ale has been bounced from coach to coach and system to system through our own failings. It's harder to adapt sometimes.
 
I never said end of time either, I said until age slows him down.

For Ale NSW Cup is 100% irrelevant because he's already reached his growth playing in that comp. Only way to push higher is regular first grade.

For TSS and Zyon Maiu’u their first year of NSW Cup is relevant because you would expect growth from year 1 to year 2 and year 2 to year 3. So if Ale has reached his limit in NSW Cup and the other two continue to grow at some random number like 15-20% each year, then yes - Ale gets overtaken UNLESS he plays regular first grade where is his best chance to improve.

You can say Ale is better than Bunty, but team selections say Bunty is higher (only slightly) in the pecking order. Curran, Siro, Tevaga, Lussick as well were all preferred ahead of him at times for various reasons.

He only played 9 games after round 10 and had more than 30 minutes twice. One of those was the final round Dolphins game where Bunty and Going got the same amount of minutes.

NSW Cup will do nothing for Ale. He either has a big off season and takes the next step in first grade (Currand and/or Bunty leaving would help that) or it's only a matter of time before he's gone.
How are you making this judgements that NSW Cup will do nothing for Ale?

He has only played 32 games of reserve grade between QLD and NSW Cup with 26 games of first grade. If anything the opportunity for more minutes in NSW Cup can only help him.
 
If there was a swap on with a Sydney club for Curran, I’d love for that player to be Tom Hazleton from the sharks. They have plenty of front rowers and I’ve been impressed with him in the sharks games I’ve seen that he’s played. He’s a big guy but showed some real speed in that runaway try he scored against us that was disallowed.
 
He's always had potential, but the end of season trended downward and I think it was for things that don't really show up in stats

Big off season for him. The youngsters are getting trained a certain way with cohesion and consistency through the grades in mind. Ale has been bounced from coach to coach and system to system through our own failings. It's harder to adapt sometimes.
He’s also had the unfortunate timing of being amongst a group of up and comers massively affected by covid and our lack of pathways at that time.
 
How are you making this judgements that NSW Cup will do nothing for Ale?

He has only played 32 games of reserve grade between QLD and NSW Cup with 26 games of first grade. If anything the opportunity for more minutes in NSW Cup can only help him.

You're the one who used stats to highlight how much better he is. Those stats won't be Improved on. There's a limit statistically to how much output a player can provide in 80 minutes.

So if stats aren't the issue then what is? That's why Ale playing NSW Cup isn't going to move the needle. He's already shown how good he can be at that level - he needs to show he can translate it to first grade.

You don't show it in first grade by playing NSW Cup and every club thinks their next crop of juniors are the next best thing until they prove otherwise.

A guy like Ale who is bouncing in and out of first grade on limited minutes is always the first to be discarded by clubs (often to the detrement of the club).
 
Jumping into the Ale discussion.
He's 15 months back playing from a ruptured ACL, got through a combined 28 games (includes x2 preseason) this year & started at Prop on 7 occassions. Prior to this season he had played 33 games (x7 NRL & includes x1 preseason) since 2017 & just started at Prop once.
His best is yet to come & has room for growth even if playing predominantly in NSW Cup because he's never played more than 8 games of reserve grade in a year before.
 
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You're the one who used stats to highlight how much better he is. Those stats won't be Improved on. There's a limit statistically to how much output a player can provide in 80 minutes.

So if stats aren't the issue then what is? That's why Ale playing NSW Cup isn't going to move the needle. He's already shown how good he can be at that level - he needs to show he can translate it to first grade.

You don't show it in first grade by playing NSW Cup and every club thinks their next crop of juniors are the next best thing until they prove otherwise.

A guy like Ale who is bouncing in and out of first grade on limited minutes is always the first to be discarded by clubs (often to the detrement of the club).
How does having good stats in NSW Cup mean a player cannot improve there? You are making it sound so definite when it cannot be further from being so black and white.
 
How does having good stats in NSW Cup mean a player cannot improve there? You are making it sound so definite when it cannot be further from being so black and white.

You're the one who brought in stats as proof not me.

I'm doing the exact thing you are - projecting based on opinion.

Nobody here can see the future, nothing is guaranteed.
 
I think when we finally had all our forwards available towards the end of the year Webby decided to go with experience which was understandable and Ale was squeezed out as a result but Imo he outperformed both Bunty and jazz this year and is cheaper and has a higher ceiling than either of them.
If I was looking at players to release he’d be a fair way down the list tbh.
 
You're the one who brought in stats as proof not me.

I'm doing the exact thing you are - projecting based on opinion.

Nobody here can see the future, nothing is guaranteed.
I used stats to highlight the differences in our reserve grade props to inform opinion.

I didn't use definites like "he won't improve in NSW Cup" like you have. But this discussion is going no where so I will leave it there.
 
I used stats to highlight the differences in our reserve grade props to inform opinion.

I didn't use definites like "he won't improve in NSW Cup" like you have. But this discussion is going no where so I will leave it there.

In my opinion he won't improve playing NSW Cup next year with limited first grade minutes - that's an opinion.
 
I think when we finally had all our forwards available towards the end of the year Webby decided to go with experience which was understandable and Ale was squeezed out as a result but Imo he outperformed both Bunty and jazz this year and is cheaper and has a higher ceiling than either of them.
If I was looking at players to release he’d be a fair way down the list tbh.
Jazz was great at the beginning of the season, when the baldies came on they killed it.
That injury was really bad and IMHO he should not have come back this season.
If he had waited until a full pre-season and come back I'm sure he would be back to his best. Same thing for TMM.
 
Ale could be our spencer Leniu. 20 mins, tough running, fast leg speed, high tackle efficiency, plenty of heart. Comes on at the 30min, rips in, plays the first 10 of the 2nd half & comes off. Targets weak shoulders and fatigued defenders, with his leg speed. Just needs to further develop his aggressiveness & I think he could be the impact prop we are looking for, on a budget.
 
Ale could be our spencer Leniu. 20 mins, tough running, fast leg speed, high tackle efficiency, plenty of heart. Comes on at the 30min, rips in, plays the first 10 of the 2nd half & comes off. Targets weak shoulders and fatigued defenders, with his leg speed. Just needs to further develop his aggressiveness & I think he could be the impact prop we are looking for, on a budget.
Needs a bit more bulk and leg drive I think
 
How are you making this judgements that NSW Cup will do nothing for Ale?

He has only played 32 games of reserve grade between QLD and NSW Cup with 26 games of first grade. If anything the opportunity for more minutes in NSW Cup can only help him.
Definitely what webby needs to see from Ale, he was never going to get this on the bench in first grade.

For where he is at the moment, he can still improve, still potential to be a first grade starter in the future for me.
 
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