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	Jett Cleary	✔	S	S
9	Wayde Egan	✔	✔	✔
10	James Fisher-Harris	✔	✔	✔	✔
11	Jackson Ford	✔	✔	✔
12	Leka Halasima	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
13	Morgan Harper	✔
14	Chanel Harris-Tavita	✔	✔
15	Sam Healey	✔	✔	✔
16	Edward Kosi	✔
17	Jacob Laban	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
18	Ali Leiataua	✔	✔	✔
19	Jye Linnane	✔	✔	✔	✔
20	Freddy Lussick	✔	✔
21	Te Maire Martin	✔	✔
22	Luke Metcalf	✔	✔
23	Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	✔	✔	✔
24	Marata Niukore	✔	✔
25	Adam Pompey	✔	✔	✔
26	Tanner Stowers-Smith	✔	✔	✔
27	Taine Tuaupiki	✔	✔
28	Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	✔	✔
29	Demitric Vaimauga	✔	✔	✔	✔
30	Dallin Watene-Zelezniak	✔	✔	✔
S1	Kayliss Fatialofa	S	✔	✔
S2	Kalani Going	S
S3	Luke Hanson	S
S4	Eddie Ieremia-Toeava	S	✔	✔
S5	Sio Kali	S
S6	Patrick Moimoi	S
-	Kahu Capper	T	T
-	Morgan Gannon	-	✔	✔	✔
-	Haizyn Mellars	✔	✔	✔
-	Motu Pasikala	T	?	?

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

Top 30 2026: 29/30
Supplementary 2026: 1/6

2026 Gains: Morgan Gannon (Leeds Rhinos), Haizyn Mellars (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
2026 Losses: Edward Kosi (South Sydney Rabbitohs)

Off Contract: Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale, Morgan Harper
Can negotiate with other clubs from Nov 1, 2025 (Entering final year) : Rocco Berry, Tanah Boyd, Kurt Capewell, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Freddy Lussick, Te Maire Martin, Luke Metcalf, Marata Niukore, Taine Tuaupiki, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck

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[Blain]

Unfortunate, but I ranked our youngsters potential as.

1. Halasima
2. Leiataua
3. Demetric
4. Zyon Maiu’u
5. Laban.

You can’t keep them all, and IMO we still have the better one’s.
I see Halasima and Demetric as 200 gamers
And Ali could be a top 5 centre.

Laban was twice the player of Zyon Maiu’u last year. I think he's being slept on because of his low NRL minutes with little impact last season. He's a bigger body with a motor, skills and younger. If we are planning to play Marata at prop, Zyon Maiu’u becomes the 8th or 9th prop in the squad after JFH, Barnett, Marata, Clark, Demetric, Ale, Ford and Afoa.

 

[Bevosa]

I thought Sipley was immense in the game vs us at Eden Park last year, if he can bring that sort of form I would be very happy with him coming home

 

[WarriorsForever]

Obviously wanting a bigger body than what we’ve got and Zyon Maiu’u was the victim?

I just watched a video the other day of Tof buying his first house which would mean strange timing to move home right after, unless Manly are forcing him out?

 

[Makasene]

I'm reading quite an interesting take - really only two arguements

1. That he has failed to dominate NSW Cup and is not ready to step up.

2. That he has the potential to step up in future

So there is consensus really that he his not currently ready to be a first grade regular.

If the TOF rumours are true, then for now the NRL side is improved by this move.

And with the long list if juniors in this position, it would be a long bow to suggest the future NRL team is significantly weakened by this move.

 

[Worried2Death]

Locks,
Clark, Walker

Halasima, Ale, CHT? Bit of a gap in experience after Clark and Walker.

 

[Makasene]

Also, for those that can handle it. Go and watch TOF absolutely tear us to shreds last year off the bench.

His injury history is a concern though

 

[Noitall]

I just watched a video the other day of Tof buying his first house which would mean strange timing to move home right after, unless Manly are forcing him out?

Was it here or Aussie? On his instagram page is wedding pictures from November and says Home in the caption, is that here or Australia? His brother Patrick is there looking like a best man?

 

[Dempsey]

 

[WA Warrior]

Also, for those that can handle it. Go and watch TOF absolutely tear us to shreds last year off the bench.

His injury history is a concern though

Big body and very effective but the injury history does worry me as well at 30 years old.

 

[WarriorsForever]

Was it here or Aussie? On his instagram page is wedding pictures from November and says Home in the caption, is that here or Australia? His brother Patrick is there looking like a best man?

Looks to be in Sydney.

 

[Dempsey]

Looks to be in Sydney.

Everyone knows Penrose is better than Sydney and Mangere Bridge is better than the Sydney Harbour bridge

 

[Noitall]

Looks to be in Sydney.

Most recent one on there looks like mrs might be pregnant? Perhaps coming home to be closer to family? Is his mrs Kiwi or Aussie?

 

[Dempsey]

Most recent one on there looks like mrs might be pregnant? Perhaps coming home to be closer to family? Is his mrs Kiwi or Aussie?

Maybe he’s not the father and they’re splitting up and he only left the Wahs cause of her and now he’s free to come home.

 

[Noitall]

Maybe he’s not the father and they’re splitting up and he only left the Wahs cause of her and now he’s free to come home.

Hope not. The only ones that win are the lawyers

 

[Fizurg]

To be fair to the Warriors. There isn’t many young players from our system that have been released and gone on to be exceptional players. Most were either signed to other NRL as teenagers and bipassed the Warriors completely or were established first graders like IPap and Katoa.
If the Warriors are happy to let him go then I back them.

 

[Lance155]

View attachment 11659

Am I missing something? What was the point of this post?

 

[Worried2Death]

Am I missing something? What was the point of this post?

Maybe we've signed them both, do they hate Jazz that much already?

 

[Lance155]

So he either loves the Wahs and Roger or..........let's fucking go!

 

[Iridescent]

he was unlucky with injuries and sort of regressed back end of last season imo. That NSW cup finals clash v Panthers he was quite average. Would have gotten rid of Bunty tbh.

Down to 27 now, hopefully they have someone big incoming soon. But honestly I dont know how I feel. I feel like this will be Katoa 2.0

Why, when Katoa left he had at least a really solid season of first grade behind him.

He might turn into a decent player but he hasn't shown diddly squat yet

 

[Matiunz]

Makes zero sense to release a young contracted player on peanuts unless we are getting someone else in.
Tof Sipley doesn’t exactly excite me