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	✔	✔	✔
	Morgan Harper	✔
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	Tanner Stowers-Smith	✔
24	Taine Tuaupiki	✔	✔
25	Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	✔	✔
26	Demitric Vaimauga	✔	✔	✔	✔
27	Dylan Walker	✔
28	Dallin Watene-Zelezniak	✔	✔	✔
S1	Kayliss Faitialofa	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
-	Jett Cleary	T	S	S
-	Motu Pasikala	T	✔	✔

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

Confirmed Top 30 2025: 29/30
Confirmed Supplementary 2025: 6/6

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

2026 Gains: Nil
2026 Losses: Nil

Off Contract: Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale, Morgan Harper, Edward Kosi, Te Maire Martin, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Tanner Stowers-Smith, Dylan Walker

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[Worried2Death]

Vlog 5

View: https://youtu.be/kYg1lsdiqQk?si=PmqpfXIlyTWpTgJ1

They're looking amazingly tight and connected as a group, better vibe than last year dare I say it. Fish must give them so much confidence having won 4 premierships. I'm suddenly optimistic.

 

[Gods_17]

They're looking amazingly tight and connected as a group, better vibe than last year dare I say it. Fish must give them so much confidence having won 4 premierships. I'm suddenly optimistic.

That looked FANtastic! Wigan Wahs and NZWahs Fans are gonna be a great encouragement/up for the boys. High fives to you All for just being there

Really need someone to write a chant/song that we all can sing throughout the game (after hearing the English Fans forever.) "We are the Warriors 100%" is da bomb. Especially when you're in amongst it...

Let' recruit Dave Dobbyn

 

[Teets]

I dont think either of them have ever been to NZ (outside of playing for NSW Cup).

Niwhai has played NZ Māori tournaments and played the last couple Māori v Auckland games.

 

[SJ’s on Fire]

From watching that Vegas match and an overall look at our team on paper, we are seriously missing some X Factor. Someone who can provide spark, create and finish opportunities and overall become the face of the club for years to come. We’ve got some solid junior forwards coming through but I’m not hearing the same from a backs/halfs perspective.

The Answer - Keano Kini (20 years old). Contracted till 2026, the kid is an absolute weapon. Auckland born - he can easily be our franchise player. From a look at his play with the Kiwis last year and Māori All Stars, though a small sample size I can clearly see he provides a clear point of difference. He would be one piece of unfortunately looking like a never ending puzzle but I’m confident that the kid can be something special.

We’ve got the $$$ and in desperate need for a game breaker. I think there are still some massive issues that will need to be addressed from a warriors perspective (sorting out the halves + phase out aging players etc) but I’m confident that Kini can at the very least enhance the brand of footy that we play.

 

[jonesy101]

They're looking amazingly tight and connected as a group, better vibe than last year dare I say it. Fish must give them so much confidence having won 4 premierships. I'm suddenly optimistic.

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gakX1m9oJhQ&pp=ygUOMjQgaG91cnMgbGF0ZXI%3D

 

[Worried2Death]

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gakX1m9oJhQ&pp=ygUOMjQgaG91cnMgbGF0ZXI%3D

Those were the days Jonesy. When's Harper getting here.

 

[Zaggo]

The Answer - Keano Kini (20 years old).

Standby for someone to insist Tuaupiki is just as good despite being 5 years older and lacking most of the spark that makes Kini so electric.

You'd have to think Titans would lock him up but would love if he could be the next RTS and shift here in his prime.

 

[Ref]

Standby for someone to insist Tuaupiki is just as good despite being 5 years older and lacking most of the spark that makes Kini so electric.

You'd have to think Titans would lock him up but would love if he could be the next RTS and shift here in his prime.

I will Zig to your Zag. Taine is the best we have atm. Not as electric as Kini but then who is right.
Great ball player and link man.

 

[Zaggo]

I wonder if Webby would actually be interested in a Kini type fullback.

As we know, he's based our model on the Panthers which relies on having a physical workhorse fullback rather than one that can chime in.

Hopefully his coaching philosophy isn't so rigid that he can't adapt to fit the cattle.

 

[JustVisiting82]

Hopefully his coaching philosophy isn't so rigid that he can't adapt to fit the cattle.

From Webby's interview on TWL back when he first started I know he is at least aware that coming up with a game plan which doesn't suit the players you have actually got is a trap coaches can fall into - I think he might even have mentioned having fallen into this trap himself in the past but my memory could be faulty on that bit.

 

[Wahs_Ultras]

Hazleton has re-signed with the sharks for 3 years.

 

[Naumaifooty]

Fuck it’s simple we need to send Matt Lodge into Mohawk’s office and tell him he can’t leave until he’s got an answer to the following….

Keep 1 get rid of 2….
RTS, CNK, DWZ

Keep 1 get rid of 2….
TMM, BOYD, CHT

Keep 1 get rid of 3….
FORD, CAPEWELL, NIUKORE, BUNTY

Keep 1 get rid of 3….
KOSI, POMPEY, MGT, HARPER

Keep 1 get rid of 1….
WALKER, CLARK

Get rid of 1….
LUSSICK

 

[Boston Boy]

Hazleton has re-signed with the sharks for 3 years.

He must have watched the game.

 

[Noitall]

Hazleton has re-signed with the sharks for 3 years.

$1.5 million over 3 years. Not disappointed to miss out

 

[juju]

$1.5 million over 3 years. Not disappointed to miss out

That's a bit of a mid tier contract with the cap and where its heading.
We would of been offering more for sure.

 

[Boston Boy]

$1.5 million over 3 years. Not disappointed to miss out

That is a much better contract than what they paid for Hamlin Uele, who provides less than Hazleton. I think he would have been good for us. Especially when you see what we lack now, he is not overly physical however and I think if we get a big bopper we need aggression, physicality and size.

 

[Noitall]

That's a bit of a mid tier contract with the cap and where its heading.
We would have been offering more for sure.

He was after $600k per season supposedly. Think we would have been offering close to that

 

[Noitall]

That is a much better contract than what they paid for Hamlin Uele, who provides less than Hazleton. I think he would have been good for us. Especially when you see what we lack now, he is not overly physical however and I think if we get a big bopper we need aggression, physicality and size.

BHU and Rudolf come off contract next year, so I’d say one of them will make way for Hazelton to continue. Pretty sure sharks were keen to spend $400-$450k per season, so have been driven up. They must be getting close with their cap? I went cold because I agree with you, we need more impact than he can offer I reckon. NAS would be a risk, but he’s ideal I reckon. I’d let Walker go at the end of the season because I don’t believe he’s providing the impact he did on arrival and replace with NAS

 

[Wahs_Ultras]

$1.5 million over 3 years. Not disappointed to miss out

500k a year is less than I thought he would get. That’s actually good value

 

[Five&Last]

Didn’t realise we had signed Caelys Putoko from Titans.

I think he’s too short to crack it in first grade, but he was probably the best 1st XV player in the country when he was playing for Hamilton Boys a couple years ago.