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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[Canonball]

On wingers did someone mention Munro off contract? Can't see him being let go but he's a good prospect.

The other one is Allan Fitzgibbon, would never pass a no dickheads policy but he's way better than any of our cup guys and would be fastest in the squad easily.

Yeah, Munro is a beast - but he's very likely to be locked up by Souffs

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

[/HEADING][/HEADING]
[HEADING=3][HEADING=3]Gumby​

Jaws​

• Yesterday at 10:03 PM
• 
  
• #4,337

Seen this on a rumour mill page. Warriors are set to launch a huge bid at Big Nelson for 2026. He is contracted until 2027 however apparently warriors will see if the storm are interested in releasing him. He will earn 900k in his final season at the storm so could be a good move for both clubs. Anyways just a rumour doing the rounds but would be huge for the warriors if they could pull it off

Wouldn’t say no but forwards aren’t our problem. We are so overloaded we’re giving good juniors away because we have so many.

Where are all the great backs and halves?

NAS package deal with Hughes to make up for Katoa?

 

[Noitall]

Yeah, Munro is a beast - but he's very likely to be locked up by Souffs

Last I seen, he’d met with bulldogs. Souths keen to hold onto him though

 

[Noitall]

Wouldn’t say no but forwards aren’t our problem. We are so overloaded we’re giving good juniors away because we have so many.

Where are all the great backs and halves?

NAS package deal with Hughes to make up for Katoa?

But if there was anything to the Sipley rumour, and interest in Hazelton, we’re obviously looking for a big unit which we don’t currently have

 

[Noitall]

Monday at 5:21 PM

• 
  
• #378

I reckon we possibly have been given a heads up on Zyon Maiu’u’s availability, I wonder if Cameron Ciraldo and Andrew Webster still have communication from their days at Penrith?
We lose the Seve brothers, a couple of weeks prior to his signing.
It’s a major coupe for us and probably a miss for the roosters!
Hopefully, this is another sign of a changing of the guard of powerhouse clubs






Thought this was an interesting post on the bulldogs forum on Monday. Wonder if there’s something to the theory?

 

[Dantheman]

Monday at 5:21 PM

• 
  
• #378

I reckon we possibly have been given a heads up on Zyon Maiu’u’s availability, I wonder if Cameron Ciraldo and Andrew Webster still have communication from their days at Penrith?
We lose the Seve brothers, a couple of weeks prior to his signing.
It’s a major coupe for us and probably a miss for the roosters!
Hopefully, this is another sign of a changing of the guard of powerhouse clubs






Thought this was an interesting post on the bulldogs forum on Monday. Wonder if there’s something to the theory?

They are deluded . To keep this on point, I do wonder if we get one of the Manly backs - any of them would solve a gaping hole in the backline that looks like it could get worse if it isn't sorted soon.

 

[Noitall]

The Tongan Fisherman

I've been following The Tongan Fisherman (Sione Katoa) on Insta for a while, now I subscribe to his YouTube channel. He cracks me up. Thought I'd dedicate a thread to him, and in turn any Sharks players extracurricular activities from social media. I'm not sure if any will have the charisma The...

forums.leagueunlimited.com

This guy would fit in with a teammate like TMM. Not sure about carp fishing though

 

[Noitall]

They are deluded . To keep this on point, I do wonder if we get one of the Manly backs - any of them would solve a gaping hole in the backline that looks like it could get worse if it isn't sorted soon.

I’m not sure? I think there would have been plenty of teams interested in Zyon Maiu’u? Wonder if it was his decision alone that saw bulldogs as the best option for him? They’ve only really taken over his contract. Interesting Koula,s name on here recently, and that article posted off clarkeys. Lot of Isaac Moses managed players over there, finding out who isn’t might be the best hint?

 

[Canonball]

The Tongan Fisherman

I've been following The Tongan Fisherman (Sione Katoa) on Insta for a while, now I subscribe to his YouTube channel. He cracks me up. Thought I'd dedicate a thread to him, and in turn any Sharks players extracurricular activities from social media. I'm not sure if any will have the charisma The...

forums.leagueunlimited.com

This guy would fit in with a teammate like TMM. Not sure about carp fish though

ha, is it any indication for the Sharks' second trial, where they've named what really looks like a first team, that Katoa isn't in it? C'mon... please.

 

[Noitall]

ha, is it any indication for the Sharks' second trial, where they've named what really looks like a first team, that Katoa isn't in it? C'mon... please.

Crazy to think he was a dummy half initially at panthers


Edit it was a different Sione Katoa

 

[SJ2k]

If we’re going to be bottom 4 anyway I'd rather see Kali and MGT and all the young blokes get a run this year for the experience, even if we get the spoon.
Actually if we do get the spoon Starford might fit in well with all his experience @Wrighty

i'm fine with blooding the youngsters as the off season recruitment this year simply wasn't good enough, combined with some own goals like unneccesarily releasing players. However the spoon is never acceptable and would undo all the hard work the club has done lifting its image. We've never won the spoon, even in covid and other disasterous times. If we get the spoon it's enough for Webby to be on the chopping block.

 

[Playdaball]

A thought …
We let 2 wingers in our top squad go and replaced neither, Tu and Montoya.

Poor recruitment as back up being young untried players, playing non wingers as well as a guy who is not up to the required standards.

Disappointing really.

 

[JaggedJ]

Look guys, it's no secret I'm no Kosi fan......





That's it, nothing more to add.

 

[Noitall]

A thought …
We let 2 wingers in our top squad go and replaced neither, Tu and Montoya.

Poor recruitment as back up being young untried players, playing non wingers as well as a guy who is not up to the required standards.

Disappointing really.

Think Montoya was long odds to sit happily behind RTS and Tu was perhaps blocking young wingers in nsw cup they wanted to have game time in that grade?

 

[Playdaball]

Think Montoya was long odds to sit happily behind RTS and Tu was perhaps blocking young wingers in nsw cup they wanted to have game time in that grade?

Regardless one winger out and we’re now almost in dire straights , if RTS goes down ….

 

[SouthernWorrier]

Think Montoya was long odds to sit happily behind RTS and Tu was perhaps blocking young wingers in nsw cup they wanted to have game time in that grade?

and with recruits we have heard SFA until it's been announced. I still trust Cappy & Webby to have a plan.

Altho playing Kosi in the trial starting 13 again is pushing that confidence tbf.

And I would like them to be slightly less soft touches off the field around letting players pursue opportunities elsewhere. Just like Cronulla held metcalf 'in case' they needed him rather than because they needed him, a more ruthless/less nice guy approach signaled on the field could do with being mirrored off it.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Really not seeing the master plan from the head shed.

Letting Monty and Setu go? Okay, name the successors.. Instead it’s smoke and mirrors with RTS, then an injury to DWZ and all of a sudden it could be a season of Kosi, who has already committed a careers worth of errors.

The halves situation which is rapidly turning into a disaster. We have 2 6s, one who is determined to be a 7, and one who might make a better lock.
We have 2 7s, one who is uncontracted next year and one we rescued from going to super league.

 

[Brightman]

Really not seeing the master plan from the head shed.

Cam George has stated we'll be a development club that will fill holes with selected Aussie recruits, it takes longer than a preseason and now we're on that path the sooner the dividend..

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

I don't care if we don't pick up an outside back this season, MGT deserves his shot to fill a hole.

Sio Kali next season for Kosi.

Unless we are getting a gun, show faith in the pathways I guess.

 

[SJ2k]

Cam George has stated we'll be a development club that will fill holes with selected Aussie recruits, it takes longer than a preseason and now we're on that path the sooner the dividend..

It's a flawed plan and the flaw is showing immediately before the season has even started. Really disappointing from the club. Long term I'm on board and think we have no choice, but short term it's just shooting ourselves in the foot for no advantage. We don't have the depth yet to just release vets and 'promote from within' when we have Kosi then nothing with RTS already a fill in on the wing.

I thought it was certain we'd be bringing in a wing when we released Monty. Otherwise it was idiotic.