Recruitment Warriors 2025/2026 Recruitment & Retention

Warriors 2025/2026 Recruitment & Retention Discussion​

-	Player	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029
1	Bunty Afoa	✔
2	Tom Ale	✔
3	Mitchell Barnett	✔	✔	✔
4	Rocco Berry	✔	✔
5	Tanah Boyd	✔	✔
6	Kurt Capewell	✔	✔
7	Erin Clark	✔	✔	✔
8	Wayde Egan	✔	✔	✔
9	James Fisher-Harris	✔	✔	✔	✔
10	Jackson Ford	✔	✔	✔
11	Leka Halasima	✔	✔	✔
12	Tohu Harris	✔
13	Chanel Harris-Tavita	✔	✔
14	Sam Healey	✔	✔	✔
15	Edward Kosi	✔
16	Jacob Laban	✔	✔
17	Ali Leiataua	✔	✔	✔
18	Freddy Lussick	✔	✔
19	Zyon Maiu’u	✔	✔
20	Te Maire Martin	✔
21	Luke Metcalf	✔	✔
22	Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	✔
23	Marata Niukore	✔	✔
24	Motu Pasikala	✔	✔	✔
25	Adam Pompey	✔
26	Taine Tuaupiki	✔	✔
27	Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	✔	✔
28	Demitric Vaimauga	✔	C
29	Dylan Walker	✔
30	Dallin Watene-Zelezniak	✔	✔	✔
S1	Kalani Going	S
S2	Tanner Stowers-Smith	S
T1	Jett Cleary	T	S	S

C = Club option, M = Mutual option, P = Player option, S = Supplementary contract (Formerly, Development), T = Train & Trial contract

Confirmed Top 30 2025: 30/30
Confirmed Supplementary 2025: 2/6
Unconfirmed Top 30 2025: 30/30
Unconfirmed Supplementary 2025: 3/6 (Luke Hanson, per Zero Tackle)

Confirmed Top 30 2026: 21/30
Confirmed Supplementary 2026: 1/6

2026 Gains: Nil
2026 Losses: Nil

Off Contract: Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale, Tohu Harris, Edward Kosi, Te Maire Martin, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Adam Pompey, Dylan Walker, Kalani Going (S), Tanner Stowers-Smith (S), Demitric Vaimauga (C)

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[Neo]

Anyone heard anything about Tom Ale? I see he has no contract for next year. Have always like his effort but does not seem to be rated by Webster from what I have seen.

Ale is a difficult one to find a role for. He is not a starting prop and the young brigade like Demetric and Halasima are pretty enticing bench options. Also Clark coming along pushes him further down the order.
His best efforts in Cup seem to be over longer stints but with the forward pack we have he is not going to get the time on the paddock to show off the work rate

 

[hornbybrown]

If you look at the list it says we have our top 30. I think we have 29 because Pasikala logically should be on a supplementary contract. Unless we get someone out of the 30 I cannot see us recruiting anyone else. Generally most clubs like to keep a spot open in case of a mid season signing.

We don’t have anywhere near 30 for 2026

 

[Ever Hopeful]

I get the feeling we haven't done quite as well at moving on a few players as management would have liked.

 

[Dannevegas]

I get the feeling we haven't done quite as well at moving on a few players as management would have liked.

Afoa, Walker, Kosi, Pompey are the players I can see being gone by the start of next year.

 

[Inruin]

Afoa, Walker, Kosi, Pompey are the players I can see being gone by the start of next year.

So all four gone by January? Can't see that myself. One maybe, possibly two and that would be by the start of the season but not all four

 

[PNG Kiwi]

Pompey and Walker are really important players, and Walker should be first name in the reserves each week if fit.

So all four gone by January? Can't see that myself. One maybe, possibly two and that would be by the start of the season but not all four

 

[Worried2Death]

Afoa, Walker, Kosi, Pompey are the players I can see being gone by the start of next year.

That's a controversial call, who's going to buy Kosi? Hope they don't, he's our third best winger.

 

[Noitall]

Bit of talk on the knights forum that Adam Blair is trying to get Jack Thompson back there, who came over and won a Harold Matts title with us. It was Blair who was mentioned some time back on there too regarding interest in TMM. Did the club have a falling out with Adam Blair?

 

[Jonno13]

Pretty sure he’s moved to Newy working in a ‘pathways’ and recruiting type role

 

[Noitall]

Pretty sure he’s moved to Newy working in a ‘pathways’ and recruiting type role

Yeah so plausible that he’s trying to lure players over there. Jack Thompson left the knights and came over and I think there’s some disappointment that he wasn’t kept

 

[Playdaball]

That's a controversial call, who's going to buy Kosi? Hope they don't, he's our third best winger.

3rd best winger??? Cameron George may actually be ahead of him !

 

[nzwarriorsfaithful]

Bit of talk on the knights forum that Adam Blair is trying to get Jack Thompson back there, who came over and won a Harold Matts title with us. It was Blair who was mentioned some time back on there too regarding interest in TMM. Did the club have a falling out with Adam Blair?

Very happy that Adam is gone. Supposedly he is an incredibly bad coach and many parents of the team he coached weren’t happy. Why he got the boot

 

[Warriorsfan92]

Very happy that Adam is gone. Supposedly he is an incredibly bad coach and many parents of the team he coached weren’t happy. Why he got the boot

One thing is he’s gone from the club, and secondly he’s gone from the commentary no more jobs for mates.

 

[Funky Ed Koosie]

One thing is he’s gone from the club, and secondly he’s gone from the commentary no more jobs for mates.

Having to listen to him for a few years in commentary was a small price to pay for his early retirement though.

 

[JaggedJ]

One thing is he’s gone from the club, and secondly he’s gone from the commentary no more jobs for mates.

Jobs for mates is exactly why he's gone. Moses/POS already infecting Newy from the inside.

 

[Brightman]

Very happy that Adam is gone. Supposedly he is an incredibly bad coach and many parents of the team he coached weren’t happy. Why he got the boot

And yet he coached his team to a title? Maybe the parents are being overprotective and too sensitive, perhaps that's why kiwi kids develop better in Aussie..

 

[Damo]

And yet he coached his team to a title? Maybe the parents are being overprotective and too sensitive, perhaps that's why kiwi kids develop better in Aussie..

Which title?

 

[WahsaurusRex]

And yet he coached his team to a title? Maybe the parents are being overprotective and too sensitive, perhaps that's why kiwi kids develop better in Aussie..

Think you are thinking of Harold Matts this year, under TJ Ashford

Adam Blair was the SG Ball coach in '23, went 4-5 and didn't return. Replaced with Pocklington who went 3-1-5 this year.

 

[Cces]

​

Confirmed Supplementary 2025: 2/6
Unconfirmed Supplementary 2025: 3/6 (Luke Hanson, per Zero Tackle)
Confirmed Supplementary 2026: 1/6

Who's in line for the remainder of these? Will Moimoi get another opportunity after an injury affected 2024? Surely Sio Kali & Eddie Ieremia-Toeava have ones lined up. Tobias Crosby or Rodney Tuipulotu-Vea a chance?

 

[Wahs Up TV]

It will be interesting to see the impact of re-signing so many of our existing players. I think we currently have the most of any club with 13 re-signing with the club, it means we will be reliant on the existing playing group to improve from last year and be able to maintain over the next 2 years. 5 are from our development which is a good sign but if things go pear shaped we will have to wait till 2026 for some more player movement.