Exploring The Depths Of The 2025 New Zealand Warriors Top-50ish
New Zealand Warriors have a full 'Supplementary List' as well as 12 lads who were reported as being on 'Train/Trial' contracts which means that there are roughly 50 players on contracted duty at Mt Smart this summer. This break down is only concerned with mapping out the NZW roster through the contracting system and all this information is public, unlike player salaries and the salary cap used/open for each NRL team.
NRL fans and media love to speculate about player salaries as well as how much salary cap space is used. None of which is factual, merely speculation and this means that fans may be more informed that media. One important piece of information that is how the salary cap increases from (all Aussie bucks) $11,050,000 in 2023 to $11,700,000 in 2027.
Starting in 2023, each year adds $150,000 to the salary cap. This means that a deal signed in 2023 will take up a smaller percentage of the salary cap in 2025, let alone 2026. Contracts may have details that ensure an increased salary through these salary cap increases, then again a contract may decrease each year as the salary cap increases; we have no idea and it's all good.
All NRL teams have the same salary cap but some NRL teams have more players in the 'Development List' (which has been updated to the Supplementary List) and more Train/Trial players than other teams. Below the Train/Trial tier is probably part-time contracts where players earn money playing NSW Cup and in theory, NRL teams could save money by having less players in the Supplementary List or Train/Trial and more part-timers in the NSW Cup tier.
NZW are not doing that and the strength of their financial position could be evident in having 19 players in the Supplementary/Train/Trial tier. This means that NZW are paying the 12 Train/Trial players to spend the summer with the NRL squad and they are likely to drop down to part-time or junior contracts once the season starts. NZW are also paying seven lads in the more expensive 'Supplementary List' who will probably spend most of 2025 in NSW Cup, rather than having them on part-time reserve grade contracts.
Most NRL teams don't have as many Supplementary/Train/Trial players as NZW. This is a notable investment from an organisation that is making enough money to also fund the full junior pipeline and a return to NRLW, then growing the women's pipeline. The benefit for NZW is that they have more contracted players training at the NRL level over the summer, increasing their quality of depth.
Being in the Top-30 means more money for the player. As there are no restrictions for when/how often a player on the Supplementary List can play NRL, fans shouldn't worry about who is in either bracket. Here is the NZW Supplementary List for 2025 broken down by their role...
Outside backs: Sio Kali, Patrick Moimoi
Halves: Luke Hanson
Middle forward: Kalani Going, Tanner Stowers-Smith
Versatiles: Eddie Ieremia-Toeava, Kayliss Fatialofa
Here is the Train/Trial group...
Jett Cleary, Moala Graham-Taufa, Daeon Amituanai, Kahu Capper, Jacob Auloa, Makaia Tafua, Rodney Tuipulotu-Vea, Augustino Filipo, Etuate Fukofuka, Jason Salalilo, Eddie Ieremia-Toeava, Motu Pasikala, Brandon Norris.
As listed below, the NZW Train/Trial group features Moala Graham-Taufa which along with Going, means that NZW have two lads who have played NRL in their 30-40 squad spots. Of the seven Supplementary List lads, five are local juniors who have progressed through the NZW pipeline with a strong De La Salle College presence in Ieremia-Toeava, Fatialofa and Moimoi.
NZW recruited Hanson from Panthers and he progressed through Under 21 Jersey Flegg to NSW Cup last season, now moving up to the Supplementary List. While NZW followed that up with recruiting Jett Cleary from Panthers, Hanson is ranked ahead of Cleary. To ensure that Cleary was immediately paid for his move to Mt Smart, NZW gave him a Train/Trial contract for this summer and he'll slide back to the NSW Cup/U21 tier before moving up to the Supplementary List in 2026.
Daeon Amituanai is another notable lad in the Train/Trial bracket after he went from NZW to NZW/Redcliffe to Panthers, now returning to Mt Smart. NZW put Amituanai straight into a Train/Trial contract and he is likely to be a starting winger for NZW in NSW Cup this season. This also applies for Kahu Capper who like Amituanai, probably wanted to return to Aotearoa and NZW were able to sweeten his junior contract with a Train/Trial gig this summer.
Kali is in the Supplementary List as one of the best 1st 15/rugby league youngsters in Aotearoa, meaning that the St Paul's College product would have had plenty of offers from both codes when he left school. In a competitive landscape, NZW gave Kali a Supplementary List contract and this reflects his prodigious talent as a local junior. Despite this investment from NZW, Graham-Taufa may be ranked ahead of Kali as far as the NRL depth chart goes but Kali has more upside long-term.
Motu Pasikala has a Train/Trial deal as well and when NZW announced deals for Pasikala, Going and Stowers-Smith, all that was mentioned was 'Pasikala has signed a three-year deal to the end of the 2027 season'. Pasikala isn't listed by NRL.com in either Top-30 or Supplementary List, so Pasikala may have got a Train/Trial contract for this summer and then settling in NSW Cup where he will still be paid, before moving up to Top-30/Supplementary List.
There are clear positional threads in these contract layers. NZW have two small forwards in their Top-30 with Dylan Walker and Erin Clark, then Going is in the Supplementary List. Former St Peter's College 1st 15 halfback Etuate Fukofuka transitioned to hooker in rugby league but is now being brewed as a highly skilled small forward and he's in the Train/Trial group.
NZW have added Sam Healey to their Top-30, along with hookers Wayde Egan and Freddie Lussick. There is no dummy half in the Supplementary List but NZW have two hookers in their Train/Trial group with Makaia Tafua (Linwood - Christchurch) and Jacob Auloa (St Paul's College) offering plenty of depth, with these two local juniors likely to play lots of NSW Cup next season.
Versatility is another key thread for the two Andys (Webster and McFadden). Mitchell Barnett, Marata Niukore and Jackson Ford have all played edge/middle under coach Webster, while Demitric Vaimauga and Leka Halasima have already shown incredibly versatility to start their careers.
In the Supplementary List, NZW have Ieremia-Toeava and Fatialofa offering positional versatility. Ieremia-Toeava played prop, edge forward and centre in NSW Cup last year. Fatialofa played edge forward and centre in U21/NSW Cup, with a speed/power combo that could lead to middle forward minutes moving forward. NZW have Augustino Filipo (Mangere East/De La Salle College) and Jason Salalilo (Papanui/St Thomas of Canterbury) offering the same middle/edge potential in the Train/Trial group.
Across these contract tiers there is also the theme of NZW recruiting young Aussies. Healey and Tanah Boyd are the recent Top-30 examples, Hanson made the move a few years ago and he's the Supplementary List example, while Cleary is joined by Brandon Norris in the Train/Trial group.
Norris is from Northern Territory and was initially recruited by Broncos, moving to Brisbane to play for Norths Devils. Norris had a full season in 2023 and after 10 games of Under 19s for Norths in 2024, Norris appeared on the wing for NZW for one game of U21s. Now Norris has a Train/Trial contract and because the two Andys don't do willy-nilly recruitment from Australia, Norris must offer something that NZW do not have in their pipeline and it might be speed.
Having 50-ish players contracted in these tiers suggests that NZW have strong financial foundations and a clear development pathway. The same themes that are evident in the Top-30 squad flow through the Supplementary List and Train/Trial group, allowing NZW to build depth in specific roles.
All of which looks like an organisation that has invested heavily in becoming a development club. There are opportunities in the NRL market for NZW and they will spend salary cap space to sign established NRL players, however they also need to upgrade contracts for players who offer value on their first NRL deal before commanding more money through their mahi.
NZW spent money on two more junior teams in 2024 and more players in the pipeline has been followed by offering 19 different players Supplementary List/Train/Trial contracts. Other NRL teams aren't investing so heavily in these contract tiers and this may suggest that NZW are diving deeper into their junior development than it may appear.
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