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	Chanel Harris-Tavita	✔	✔
13	Sam Healey	✔	✔	✔
14	Edward Kosi	✔
15	Jacob Laban	✔	✔
16	Ali Leiataua	✔	✔	✔
17	Freddy Lussick	✔	✔
18	Te Maire Martin	✔
19	Luke Metcalf	✔	✔
20	Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	✔
21	Marata Niukore	✔	✔
22	Adam Pompey	✔
23	Taine Tuaupiki	✔	✔
24	Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	✔	✔
25	Demitric Vaimauga	✔	✔	✔	✔
26	Dylan Walker	✔
27	Dallin Watene-Zelezniak	✔	✔	✔
S1	Kayliss Faitialofa	S
S2	Kalani Going	S
S3	Luke Hanson	S
S4	Sio Kali	S
S5	Patrick Moimoi	S
S6	Tanner Stowers-Smith	S
-	Kahu Capper	T	T
-	Jett Cleary	T	S	S
-	Eddie Ieremia-Toeava	T
-	Motu Pasikala	T

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

Confirmed Top 30 2025: 27/30
Confirmed Supplementary 2025: 6/6
Unconfirmed Top 30 2025: 27/30
Unconfirmed Supplementary 2025: 6/6

Confirmed Top 30 2026: 22/30
Confirmed Supplementary 2026: 1/6

2026 Gains: Nil
2026 Losses: Nil

Off Contract: Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale, Edward Kosi, Te Maire Martin, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Adam Pompey, Dylan Walker

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[BangBro's (still banging)]

TWL will be dropping an interview with Cappy this evening

Will tune in

 

[Fonzie]

View: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/this-warriors-life/id1462828112?i=1000678849170

 

[Tookey 2.0]

So, by my calculations we've got a butt load of coin available for 2026 onwards.

I'm wondering why we don't throw big money - crazy money even - at someone like Pezet.
He's widely regarded as one of the best young halves coming through, so why don't we throw him a 5 year, 5 million dollar contract.
Ridiculous I know, but the reality is if we signed him, you'd give up TMM so he'd only be costing us about 650k a season over what we're paying TMM currently.

It will blow every other offer out of the water, which means that we either get him, or we bump his price up for our competitors.

Yes, realistically well be paying way more than what he's actually worth currently, but if you time the contract right, you'll be paying more than what he's worth at the beginning of his contract, but if he's as good as everyone says you'll be paying waaaay under what he is worth at the back end of his deal (imo with the next few teams coming into the comp soon, decent halves will be worth a premium).

The only issue would be if he shits the bed and isn't a top player. But, times are tough, you gotta take a risk here or there imo and as one of the top young halves in the comp, if he fires we could build the club around him for the next 5-10 years

 

[Ever Hopeful]

The thing that stood out to me is Cappy saying that he is not looking at Australia much. Only if there is a gap to fill that there is no answer to in our Kiwi-based development.

They won't fill the 30th spot unless something falls into their lap, but are looking to give it to a local guy coming through.

It might be a bit tough next year, but that patience is probably what the club needs in a longer term plan.

Thanks @Fonzie

 

[Fizurg]

So, by my calculations we've got a butt load of coin available for 2026 onwards.

I'm wondering why we don't throw big money - crazy money even - at someone like Pezet.
He's widely regarded as one of the best young halves coming through, so why don't we throw him a 5 year, 5 million dollar contract.
Ridiculous I know, but the reality is if we signed him, you'd give up TMM so he'd only be costing us about 650k a season over what we're paying TMM currently.

It will blow every other offer out of the water, which means that we either get him, or we bump his price up for our competitors.

Yes, realistically well be paying way more than what he's actually worth currently, but if you time the contract right, you'll be paying more than what he's worth at the beginning of his contract, but if he's as good as everyone says you'll be paying waaaay under what he is worth at the back end of his deal (imo with the next few teams coming into the comp soon, decent halves will be worth a premium).

The only issue would be if he shits the bed and isn't a top player. But, times are tough, you gotta take a risk here or there imo and as one of the top young halves in the comp, if he fires we could build the club around him for the next 5-10 years

I agree with you but it’s gone wrong for so many more teams than it’s gone right for.
We did similar with Walsh and the Knights did it with Ponga. But there’s a much longer list of Brooks etc.

 

[Tookey 2.0]

I agree with you but it’s gone wrong for so many more teams than it’s gone right for.
We did similar with Walsh and the Knights did it with Ponga. But there’s a much longer list of Brooks etc.

Fine. I'm willing to go as low as a 3 yr contract.

Haha but no, I get it. High risk, high reward. The reality is, were unlikely to go close to a premiership with the halves that we have currently. So, do we take a massive gamble and then have to bide our time until we can release them?

I dunno, but it's a good thing I'm not on the Wah's recruitment team because a lot of you guys would be very upset at times haha

 

[Defence]

So, by my calculations we've got a butt load of coin available for 2026 onwards.

I'm wondering why we don't throw big money - crazy money even - at someone like Pezet.
He's widely regarded as one of the best young halves coming through, so why don't we throw him a 5 year, 5 million dollar contract.
Ridiculous I know, but the reality is if we signed him, you'd give up TMM so he'd only be costing us about 650k a season over what we're paying TMM currently.

It will blow every other offer out of the water, which means that we either get him, or we bump his price up for our competitors.

Yes, realistically well be paying way more than what he's actually worth currently, but if you time the contract right, you'll be paying more than what he's worth at the beginning of his contract, but if he's as good as everyone says you'll be paying waaaay under what he is worth at the back end of his deal (imo with the next few teams coming into the comp soon, decent halves will be worth a premium).

The only issue would be if he shits the bed and isn't a top player. But, times are tough, you gotta take a risk here or there imo and as one of the top young halves in the comp, if he fires we could build the club around him for the next 5-10 years

Geez we’re not desperate are we?
Are we..?
All four of our halves were the next big thing at one stage too.

 

[CWC]

So, by my calculations we've got a butt load of coin available for 2026 onwards.

I'm wondering why we don't throw big money - crazy money even - at someone like Pezet.
He's widely regarded as one of the best young halves coming through, so why don't we throw him a 5 year, 5 million dollar contract.
Ridiculous I know, but the reality is if we signed him, you'd give up TMM so he'd only be costing us about 650k a season over what we're paying TMM currently.

It will blow every other offer out of the water, which means that we either get him, or we bump his price up for our competitors.

Yes, realistically well be paying way more than what he's actually worth currently, but if you time the contract right, you'll be paying more than what he's worth at the beginning of his contract, but if he's as good as everyone says you'll be paying waaaay under what he is worth at the back end of his deal (imo with the next few teams coming into the comp soon, decent halves will be worth a premium).

The only issue would be if he shits the bed and isn't a top player. But, times are tough, you gotta take a risk here or there imo and as one of the top young halves in the comp, if he fires we could build the club around him for the next 5-10 years

Risky when he pulls a compassionate release on you though

 

[Makasene]

The thing that stood out to me is Cappy saying that he is not looking at Australia much. Only if there is a gap to fill that there is no answer to in our Kiwi-based development.

They won't fill the 30th spot unless something falls into their lap, but are looking to give it to a local guy coming through.

It might be a bit tough next year, but that patience is probably what the club needs in a longer term plan.

Thanks @Fonzie

This is a key observation and there are a few posters on here who don't fully seem to have grasped what it means to be a development club. I don't mind @Tookey 2.0 idea to go hard for Pezet but that would still fall into the second point below.

Other posts decrying "wHy HaVEn't wE SignEd AnYOne yeT?!!?" - that's not going to be our game.

1. We will fill majority of our positions internally.
2. When recruiting externally we will always be looking for players we think can improve.

Look at Penrith, virtually no external recruiting until now where their exits of top players has reached a tipping point.

 

[Boston Boy]

Risky when he pulls a compassionate release on you though

Too true, ideally our marquees are the best kiwis who can’t leave for compassionate reasons. We would have struggled if we didn’t get JFH replacing AFB. The next level down like your $650-750k players we can buy good Ozzie’s but we need some real pillars who are committed long term to building the culture and perception of the club, and ideally that’s our kiwi superstars.

 

[SJ2k]

Interesting seeing Roosters base themselves at Rolleston college. Seems pretty savvy. Fastest growing district in the country. Will be one of if not the largest school in the country in the next few years, but doesn't have an elite rugby program.

 

[Noitall]

This is a key observation and there are a few posters on here who don't fully seem to have grasped what it means to be a development club. I don't mind @Tookey 2.0 idea to go hard for Pezet but that would still fall into the second point below.

Other posts decrying "wHy HaVEn't wE SignEd AnYOne yeT?!!?" - that's not going to be our game.

1. We will fill majority of our positions internally.
2. When recruiting externally we will always be looking for players we think can improve.

Look at Penrith, virtually no external recruiting until now where their exits of top players has reached a tipping point.

In saying all that, it’s still hard to know where some players in the team stand? Halfback was brought up in the interview and it seems odd we’re so slow to extend TMM? Really seems an important player to the team being our only true experienced halve. Then there’s CNK? McFadden mentioned Tuaupiki as one of the young group coming through so would expect CNK plays out his final year, perhaps at fullback with Tuaupiki ready to take over? We made a host of signings before November for some particular players, but who wasn’t extended seems like they’re not going to be?

 

[Warriorsfan92]

If you look at the most successful teams the last decade, storm, Penrith, their teams have been built on two things:
- their ability to develop players
- their pathways program

Both teams are quite different yet have both had a lot of success. Panthers were cellar dwellers until their pathways have turned them into the best team in the modern era (luai, Cleary, Burton, kikau, Edwards, yeo, Martin etc all internationals.

The storm don’t have strong pathways because they’re based in AFL country. However, their ability to turn fringe first graders into nrl stars is incomparable. Katoa, blore, king, warbrick, Hughes, Meaney, papenheyzun etc. the difference is, they’ve recruited & paid 70% of their cap on the spine, which has allowed the development of the fringe players to turn into stars.

IMO we are heading down the panthers system, this is obvious. What happens is, when there is an abundance of talent coming through, this allows you to sign these players on smaller salaries to be apart of the dynasty & to play with the best of the best. It also means that you can allocate your cap to your top players & sprinkle the young talent around these superstars. It also means you don’t need to overpay players, knowing there’s depth coming through (aka turuva released, McLean brothers coming through).

We’re starting to see the youth coming through now, Ali, Sifakula, laben, halasima, although I still think these kids are 18 months away from nailing their spots. I feel Ali will be pushing for starting, Sifakula bench in 2025. It does seem like there’s some talented 6s, hookers & outside backs coming through, but our glaring hole is 7. Weve identified this, and recruited a bunch of Aussie kids for our pathways program, hoping that one of these comes through as the future 7 of the warriors.

We’re progressing well, we’ve got the right staff in place, we’ve got funding and resource allocation in the right places. Now all we need to wait. IMO, 24-36 months & we will start to see the fruits. I get how this is frustrating but for the first time ever, I can see their vision. Fisher Harris is the first domino to fall, turning the warriors into the destination club for kiwis. Again, this is the only way we will be able to recruit these elite players, with the draw card of ‘coming home’.

 

[Teets]

We’re progressing well, we’ve got the right staff in place, we’ve got funding and resource allocation in the right places. Now all we need to wait. IMO, 24-36 months & we will start to see the fruits.

Cappy talked about the patience required, hopefully we've matured as a club and fanbase to have it. And the fans aren't trying to ship out guys like Leka and Demitric Vaimauga when they go through the inevitable rough patches the Katoas and Papaliis went through in their early days.

 

[Fizurg]

Development needs to continue into the first grade team. Still hurts seeing two elite second rowers that should have been one club men for the Warriors excelling for other teams. It’s not like they were unheralded either. Both were top tier juniors.

 

[CWC]

If they're not signing any more that probably means Ale is still in the frame, hope he gets proper game time in '25, he's literally had 2 years of FG investment & is ready to rip...

The lack of re-signing of Charnz & TMM are the concerns for some of us, both are hearty local players who are happy to stay in NZ and are good for juniors eg TMM with his brain clot backstory, and not expensive either.

Maybe they're really negotiating with someone like Hughes for '26, because TMM is in the best years for a halfback, and your next crops are non-existent or in early stage developments, and we'd be in trouble if Boyd is our main No.7

 

[Falcon]

Really want to see Zyon Maiu’u make a stride next year, he went backwards a touch from 2023. Went from 91% tackle efficiency and 97 metres on average in 2023, to 90% tackle efficiency and 80 metres on average in nsw cup. Though he played 26 games in 2023 and managed 16 this season. One thing to be optimistic about though is in his first grade debut he made 77 metres in 7 runs, so exactly what you want from your front rower and 5 tackles, no misses

A couple of big ifs next year for the likes of Zion,
Taking fitness levels to the next level, AW realising the strengths of these players and utilising them accordingly. I.e, is Zion a Spencer Leniu impact player and if so, what is needed to realise this next season.

 

[Cces]

Still hurts seeing two elite second rowers that should have been one club men for the Warriors excelling for other teams.

In the case of Papali'i he declined an extension for less cash at Parra. Our covid uncertainty probably played a part too. His stocks had fallen at the club but he wasn't unwanted

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Cappy talked about the patience required, hopefully we've matured as a club and fanbase to have it. And the fans aren't trying to ship out guys like Leka and Demitric Vaimauga when they go through the inevitable rough patches the Katoas and Papaliis went through in their early days.

Add Andrew Webster to this also.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

A couple of big ifs next year for the likes of Zion,
Taking fitness levels to the next level, AW realising the strengths of these players and utilising them accordingly. I.e, is Zion a Spencer Leniu impact player and if so, what is needed to realise this next season.

I'd be happy if maiuu only got a handful of games over the next two seasons, he's obviously going to be a late one.