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	Tohu Harris	✔
13	Chanel Harris-Tavita	✔	✔
14	Sam Healey	✔	✔	✔
15	Edward Kosi	✔
16	Jacob Laban	✔	✔
17	Ali Leiataua	✔	✔	✔
18	Freddy Lussick	✔	✔
19	Zyon Maiu’u	✔	✔
20	Te Maire Martin	✔
21	Luke Metcalf	✔	✔
22	Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	✔
23	Marata Niukore	✔	✔
24	Motu Pasikala	✔	✔	✔
25	Adam Pompey	✔
26	Taine Tuaupiki	✔	✔
27	Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	✔	✔
28	Demitric Vaimauga	✔	C
29	Dylan Walker	✔
30	Dallin Watene-Zelezniak	✔	✔	✔
S1	Kalani Going	S
S2	Tanner Stowers-Smith	S
T1	Daeon Amituanai	T
T2	Jaydee Auloa	T
T3	Kahu Capper	T	T
T4	Jett Cleary	T	S	S
T5	Augustino Filipo	T
T6	Etuane Fukofuka	T
T7	Moala Graham-Taufa	T
T8	Eddie Ieremia-Toeava	T
T9	Brandon Norris	T
T10	Jason Salalilo	T
T11	Makaia Taufa	T
T12	Rodney Vea	T

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

Confirmed Top 30 2025: 30/30
Confirmed Supplementary 2025: 2/6
Unconfirmed Top 30 2025: 30/30
Unconfirmed Supplementary 2025: 3/6 (Luke Hanson, per Zero Tackle)

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

2026 Gains: Nil
2026 Losses: Nil

Off Contract: Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale, Tohu Harris, Edward Kosi, Te Maire Martin, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Adam Pompey, Dylan Walker, Kalani Going (S), Tanner Stowers-Smith (S), Demitric Vaimauga (C)

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[Canonball]

Sean O'Sullivan

f'me! that would be umm, interesting

I seriously think there has to be someone coming in ... or promoted, or a positional change ahead for someone already here, cause we simply don't have enough halves on the books for first grade ... it's a numbers game and we have a total of zero out and out 7s and about 2 and half 6s at this point

 

[Makasene]

Wonder if they have thoughts of moving Egan into the halves if needed?

Lussick, Healey, Roache, CHT, Clarke? - we're pretty sorted at 9 if Egan were to move to 6?

There has to be some thought given to getting him out of the middle.

 

[Noitall]

Wonder if they have thoughts of moving Egan into the halves if needed?

Lussick, Healey, Roache, CHT, Clarke? - we're pretty sorted at 9 if Egan were to move to 6?

There has to be some thought given to getting him out of the middle.

Guess it doesn’t mean Egan’s guaranteed to play there but Healey referenced learning from Egan as one of his main drivers in coming over, also that he gets a shot at a bench spot and a starting spot. Egan seems too good of a hooker to have him change positions, just needs to sort his technique and putting his head in the right places. We do have plenty of hookers though as you mentioned. Quite a few clubs have announced who will be departing their clubs and the fact we haven’t makes me think we’ve got quite a few negotiations going on

 

[Warriorshopeful]

Wonder if they have thoughts of moving Egan into the halves if needed?

Lussick, Healey, Roache, CHT, Clarke? - we're pretty sorted at 9 if Egan were to move to 6?

There has to be some thought given to getting him out of the middle.

Egan played in the halves last year I think and pretty sure it was a disaster and only lasted 1 game

 

[Tookey 2.0]

This year 11 of our games were decided my 6 points or less. We lost 7 of those.

This year it sounds like we had off field drama, a terrible (the worst in the NRL) injury toll and a steep decline of our star half that no one would have seen coming.

Assuming we don't have those above issues, if we played the same way we did this year, but scored 4 more tries at the right time, we would, in theory make the 8.

But, imo we are going to improve significantly. No more off field dramas, and assuming we don't have the worst injury toll in the league, we have 5 months until our next game to come up with a plan on what we want our halves to look like.

I do feel Webby was not quick enough to respond/react when our luck started to change this year, however without SJ were forced to come in to next year with a new plan A, and I'm really hoping there's some serious thought in to a plan B as well. But, Webby has shown he's a capable coach when he has the resources and I do believe we'll be ready to go come Rd 1.

We improve our defence next year, and we have our main halves on the pitch for 18+ games I think we sit 4-6th on the table at the end of the year.

 

[CWC]

This year 11 of our games were decided my 6 points or less. We lost 7 of those.

This year it sounds like we had off field drama, a terrible (the worst in the NRL) injury toll and a steep decline of our star half that no one would have seen coming.

Assuming we don't have those above issues, if we played the same way we did this year, but scored 4 more tries at the right time, we would, in theory make the 8.

But, imo we are going to improve significantly. No more off field dramas, and assuming we don't have the worst injury toll in the league, we have 5 months until our next game to come up with a plan on what we want our halves to look like.

I do feel Webby was not quick enough to respond/react when our luck started to change this year, however without SJ were forced to come in to next year with a new plan A, and I'm really hoping there's some serious thought in to a plan B as well. But, Webby has shown he's a capable coach when he has the resources and I do believe we'll be ready to go come Rd 1.

We improve our defence next year, and we have our main halves on the pitch for 18+ games I think we sit 4-6th on the table at the end of the year.

Yup that's why we need a back up halfback if plan A fails when they go down as usual, Metcalf played about 15 games across 2 years and TMM about half over the same period.

The injury toll is probably contributed by Webby playing 2 backs on the bench, busting injured senior players till they tear a muscle and giving 5min to the 4th bench player to relieve...busted players.

And I reckon they need to work out a plan to cheat the HIA subs when you're losing 2-3 backs in one game

 

[Tookey 2.0]

Yup that's why we need a back up halfback if plan A fails when they go down as usual, Metcalf played about 15 games across 2 years and TMM about half over the same period.

The injury toll is probably contributed by Webby playing 2 backs on the bench, busting injured senior players till they tear a muscle and giving 5min to the 4th bench player to relieve...busted players.

And I reckon they need to work out a plan to cheat the HIA subs when you're losing 2-3 backs in one game

Without checking facts, it feels to me most teams have their 2 main halves, a capable replacement, and then after that a few junior prospects/journeymen who can do a job for a game or 2 here and there.

Chanel is decent enough as a half, but again if he was expected to play 15+ matches I think that's where we will fall down, as he's not good enough week in week out to play as a half imo.

It just comes down to a bit of luck imo, but yeah I don't know, maybe having a combination of Walker/CNK/one of the newbies to cover the 3-5 games that we may need a forth half? I dunno, seems a better option than paying 400k+ for someone to play back up to the back up (unless someone significant was to become available)

 

[Inruin]

Yup that's why we need a back up halfback if plan A fails when they go down as usual, Metcalf played about 15 games across 2 years and TMM about half over the same period.

The injury toll is probably contributed by Webby playing 2 backs on the bench, busting injured senior players till they tear a muscle and giving 5min to the 4th bench player to relieve...busted players.

And I reckon they need to work out a plan to cheat the HIA subs when you're losing 2-3 backs in one game

We got hit with injuries a lot this season which didnt help things but I thought the plan from AW was to reduce key players minutes and rest them more.

We should be looking at rotating players a little more than we have and using our bench better.

Egan for example could easily have an extra week off before or after a bye or a week off during a long stretch of games when you now have Lussick, Roach, Healey that can cover.

 

[John Nick]

We got hit with injuries a lot this season which didnt help things but I thought the plan from AW was to reduce key players minutes and rest them more.

We should be looking at rotating players a little more than we have and using our bench better.

Egan for example could easily have an extra week off before or after a bye or a week off during a long stretch of games when you now have Lussick, Roach, Healey that can cover.

Egans major problem is his tackling technique.
7 year olds are taught to put you head behind the hip & not in front of..
Should have learnt by now & a lot of damage is already done most likely.

 

[Noitall]

Current article on the Panthers stating they have an 11 (yes 11) person retention and recruitment team. And the focus is on retention. Only bought in about 5 players during their 5 GF run. All retention/recruitment /development personnel are on the same page.

 

[John Nick]

Current article on the Panthers stating they have an 11 (yes 11) person retention and recruitment team. And the focus is on retention. Only bought in about 5 players during their 5 GF run. All retention/recruitment /development personnel are on the same page.

Amazing how many players they have lost and still making and winning GFs.

 

[Falcon]

A great article on Jerohme Hughes and his beginnings as a fullback to the best in the business in 2024.

Andrew Webster please take note

How Melbourne's Jahrome Hughes went from journeyman fullback to Dally M winner

Analysis - Jahrome Hughes didn't need the Dally M medal to be the best player in the NRL this year, but it certainly helps.

www.rnz.co.nz

 

[Christchurch_Warrior]

Current article on the Panthers stating they have an 11 (yes 11) person retention and recruitment team. And the focus is on retention. Only bought in about 5 players during their 5 GF run. All retention/recruitment /development personnel are on the same page.

Are they not covered by football department salary cap?

 

[WahsaurusRex]

Are they not covered by football department salary cap?

I dont think the operations salary cap is a hard cap, teams can exceed it but they will have to pay 39% or something like that on top of any salaries they have above the limit, sort of like the NBA Luxury tax

I presume that money is then distributed between the teams that are under the soft cap, also like the NBA

 

[Noitall]

Are they not covered by football department salary cap?

‘Thought it was madness’: 11-person masterstroke behind $12m Panthers juggernaut — Hoops

Staggering $12m truth behind NRL juggernaut... and 11-man ‘madness’ responsible — Hoops

www.foxsports.com.au

 

[ROCCO]

Would be great if Jerome Hughes gets homesick over the off-season.

 

[WahsaurusRex]

‘Thought it was madness’: 11-person masterstroke behind $12m Panthers juggernaut — Hoops

Staggering $12m truth behind NRL juggernaut... and 11-man ‘madness’ responsible — Hoops

www.foxsports.com.au

Oh what lol, I thought you meant the Panthers have Cappys job pretty much spread across 11 people

The CEO, Coaches and general manager will already be working together on recruitment and retention, the Panthers just happened to slap the name "committee" on it and Hoops decided that was worth an article haha

 

[Inruin]

Oh what lol, I thought you meant the Panthers have Cappys job pretty much spread across 11 people

The CEO, Coaches and general manager will already be working together on recruitment and retention, the Panthers just happened to slap the name "committee" on it and Hoops decided that was worth an article haha

its basically summarising that the Panthers have their shit together and arent afraid to lose players if they have a comparable player coming through.

Thats where AW and Cappy want to get us but its going to take time.

 

[John Nick]

its basically summarising that the Panthers have their shit together and arent afraid to lose players if they have a comparable player coming through.

Thats where AW and Cappy want to get us but its going to take time.

Not a good comparison.
Penrith have at least 580 junior teams in the close proximity to choose from .
Probably more since the last count.

 

[Noitall]

its basically summarising that the Panthers have their shit together and arent afraid to lose players if they have a comparable player coming through.

Thats where AW and Cappy want to get us but its going to take time.

Feel like it’s coming along though. David Tangata Toa was surely part of this process back at the panthers before he came over here and Andrew Auimatagi seems to be having success. We’re accumulating a good bunch