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

---

This thread is solely for Warriors recruitment and retention discussion. Any posts not related to the above will be deleted.

Repeat offenders will have their access to this page limited.

Please be mindful of what you are posting in this thread before clicking the reply button. Zero Tolerance to offtopic chat.

 

[Noitall]

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

Dragons desperate for a middle with the Molo debacle, surprised they didn’t offer more? Perhaps Klemmer is in their sights? Sharks are building something though so probably wanted to stay always and got his price driven up by saying he was interested in leaving

 

[Ref]

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.

Still young enough for Jersey Flegg but should be pulled straight into NSW Cup or bounce between both.
Been playing premier football since 2023. Repped the BOP and Aotearoa NZ Māori last year.
He’s not short. He’d be 5.10

 

[Boston Boy]

Still young enough for Jersey Flegg but should be pulled straight into NSW Cup or bounce between both.
Been playing premier football since 2023. Repped the BOP and Aotearoa NZ Māori last year.
He’s not short. He’d be 5.10

That 90m try put him on the map. Is he consistently good? Looks like he's got a bit of touch evasion skills. Does he have a future? Being 5 10' you need a little magic or pace to succeed.

 

[Five&Last]

Still young enough for Jersey Flegg but should be pulled straight into NSW Cup or bounce between both.
Been playing premier football since 2023. Repped the BOP and Aotearoa NZ Māori last year.
He’s not short. He’d be 5.10

5’10 is short my king

 

[The Undertaker]

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’s chosen to win a premiership with the Sharks who have an amazing squad. They’ll be there or there abouts over the next three years. Good luck to him.

Who is the next target? NAS?

 

[The Warrior Waka]

He’s chosen to win a premiership with the Sharks who have an amazing squad. They’ll be there or there abouts over the next three years. Good luck to him.

Who is the next target? NAS?

Haas & Tino Fa'asuamaleaui? Both of them ?

 

[Ref]

5’10 is short my king

I wish I was that tall.

 

[Ref]

That 90m try put him on the map. Is he consistently good? Looks like he's got a bit of touch evasion skills. Does he have a future? Being 5 10' you need a little magic or pace to succeed.

Can play centre, wing, full back. I reckon he would make a good 6.
Has a great in and away. Decent speed, good fend and can draw and pass very well. Simply just a natural league player.
Always hard to say if they are good enough to make first grade though.

 

[Billyspleen75]

5’10 is short my king

For reference, here are the shortest outside backs according to zerotackle

(5' 11")

Morgan Harper, Jamayne Isaako, Sione Katoa, Tolutau Koula, Will Penisini, Marion Seve, Charlie Staines, Starford To'a,

(5' 10")

Dean Ieremia, Blake Taaffe, Solomona Faataape, Justin Olam, Siosifa Talakai, Jazz Tevaga, Taine Tuaupiki, Keano Kini, Greg Marzhew, Reece Walsh

(5' 9")

Sua Fa'alogo,

(5' 5")

Joash Papalii!!!! Surely a misprint lol!!

 

[Dannevegas]

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

That list id release
CNK, Martin, Ford, Capewell, Niukore,
Kosi, Pompey, Harper, Walker, Lussick

 

[Five&Last]

For reference, here are the shortest outside backs according to zerotackle

(5' 11")

Morgan Harper, Jamayne Isaako, Sione Katoa, Tolutau Koula, Will Penisini, Marion Seve, Charlie Staines, Starford To'a,

(5' 10")

Dean Ieremia, Blake Taaffe, Solomona Faataape, Justin Olam, Siosifa Talakai, Jazz Tevaga, Taine Tuaupiki, Keano Kini, Greg Marzhew, Reece Walsh

(5' 9")

Sua Fa'alogo,

(5' 5")

Joash Papalii!!!! Surely a misprint lol!!

So hard to be a quality NRL player at 5'10 or below unless you have elite play making.

Jye Gray probably the shortest guy in NRL at the moment. Joash Papalii looks taller than him to me.

 

[run_it_str8_again]

Kyren Taumoefolau. Winger for Moana Pasifika.

 

[run_it_str8_again]

I wish I was that tall.

I'm that wide

 

[Cces]

Kyren Taumoefolau. Winger for Moana Pasifika.

He's eligible for the All Blacks next year so doubt he's a realistic target despite having a strong skill set for League

 

[run_it_str8_again]

He's eligible for the All Blacks next year so doubt he's a realistic target despite having a strong skill set for League

I'd never seen him as I haven't seriously followed rugby for a while. But saw him hurdling and gliding like a gazelle and had that overlay of him in a Warriors jersey.

 

[Dannevegas]

We should be looking at dragons outside backs,

Sloan, Ramsay, Lawson, Finau and Allan all playing in cup on the weekend

 

[ndp26]

We should be looking at dragons outside backs,

Sloan, Ramsay, Lawson, Finau and Allan all playing in cup on the weekend

Out of those, I'd probably take Finau. Sloan would bring speed, which we don't have, but is a worry on defence (oh, the irony after conceding 30 points last weekend). Ramsay would be a gamble, but would have been a better gamble than Harper. Allan has had a horror run with injuries, so would be an even bigger gamble. Not familiar with Lawson, but don't know if we have the coaching cattle to convert a sevens player (unlike Melbourne... apparently Moses Leo is looking really good - but so is the rest of the Storm backline...).

 

[Noitall]

Out of those, I'd probably take Finau. Sloan would bring speed, which we don't have, but is a worry on defence (oh, the irony after conceding 30 points last weekend). Ramsay would be a gamble, but would have been a better gamble than Harper. Allan has had a horror run with injuries, so would be an even bigger gamble. Not familiar with Lawson, but don't know if we have the coaching cattle to convert a sevens player (unlike Melbourne... apparently Moses Leo is looking really good - but so is the rest of the Storm backline...).

Grant Anderson was 18th man and meant to be heading to broncos next year. Meaney was the other centre with Howarth, so you’d imagine Meaney is on the outer when Leo is ready? Unless they transition Howarth to second row? Can’t see it though

 

[ndp26]

Grant Anderson was 18th man and meant to be heading to broncos next year. Meaney was the other centre with Howarth, so you’d imagine Meaney is on the outer when Leo is ready? Unless they transition Howarth to second row? Can’t see it though

Bloke in a Bar season preview had Meaney most at risk if Leo demands a start in the NRL. I only watched the first 50 mins of Storm v Eels, and Meaney had a mixed bag - but nowhere near enough to be dropped after one game (not Bellamy's style - and shouldn't be Webby's either, much to the ire of our fanbase). Adding to that, QCup's first round was postponed, so Leo hasn't played any competitive rugby league games yet - suspect he'll play QCup for at least half a season before he gets a look in for the Storm's NRL side.

 

[Noitall]

Bloke in a Bar season preview had Meaney most at risk if Leo demands a start in the NRL. I only watched the first 50 mins of Storm v Eels, and Meaney had a mixed bag - but nowhere near enough to be dropped after one game (not Bellamy's style - and shouldn't be Webby's either, much to the ire of our fanbase). Adding to that, QCup's first round was postponed, so Leo hasn't played any competitive rugby league games yet - suspect he'll play QCup for at least half a season before he gets a look in for the Storm's NRL side.

If Meaney’s smart he’ll brush up on his goal kicking to secure his spot. He’d be a handy pickup if he did become available in filling that outside back role. 27 now and one breakaway try he scored, his pace is waning