Prepare for your festive period yarns with this basic guide to NZ Warriors depth. Players are only listed in one positional bracket and the notes walk through players who can cover multiple roles, as well as some background information for names you need to know about. While some pockets focus on the NRL tier, others slide deeper down the pipeline to highlight an extra player or wrinkle.

Fullback: Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Taine Tuaupiki

Nicoll-Klokstad has looked fabulous when playing centre and there is a chance that Tuaupiki commands a crack, which would bump Nicoll-Klokstad to centre. Coach Andrew Webster has only flirted with this in emergency situations but these options enable NZW to absorb injuries/suspensions through a long season.

Geronimo Doyle offers mature cover. Caelys Putoko and Joseph Ratcliffe (Palmerston North)shared fullback duties for the U21 team this year. Another youngster in Jeremiah Lemana is training with the wider squad but he will be at the U19 level to start next year with an aim to play U21s.

Wing: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Alofiana Khan-Pereira, Haizyn Mellars

Centre: Adam Pompey, Rocco Berry, Ali Leiataua, Sio Kali

Khan-Pereira's speed gives him an x-factor but he will probably start the year in NSW Cup. As long as he does his job at that level, his patience will be rewarded at some stage as he has a bit of space ahead of the Mellars/Kali tier.

Pompey has earned the best centre label mainly thanks to always being available. The Berry vs Leiataua battle will ensure competitive depth and Pompey has flirted with edge forward duties in the Mt Smart system so that could be something to watch out for.

Kali, Putoko, Motu Pasikala and Brandon Norris (Northern Territory) are versatile outside backs. Tokoroa's Putoko is mainly centre/fullback. Kali can play centre/wing equally well but most of his NSW Cup game time was on the wing this year and his NRL opportunity may come on the wing. Kali may be ranked ahead of new recruit Mellars in the wing stocks.

Pasikala and Norris have also covered wing/centre in the Mt Smart system. Pasikala’s development was slowed down in 2025 after shining in NSW Cup while still U19s during the 2024 season, but he did find a groove at centre for the U21s this year. Norris is the flipside as he slowly progressed in 2024 and was one of the most consistent performers for the U21 team where he was always switching between wing and centre; including the epic win vs Tigers in which he start on the right wing and finished at left centre.

Pasikala and Norris will need to roll through lots of NSW Cup footy next season first and foremost. Kali was a regular in NSW Cup while eligible for U21s and Putoko overtook Pasikala this year, but these four provide ample outside back depth to compete with Mellars through the 2026 season.

Half: Luke Metcalf, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Te Maire Martin, Tanah Boyd, Luke Hanson, Jett Cleary, Jye Linnane, Jack Thompson

Extended list to showcase all Aussie halves in the system with two former Knights juniors in Linnane and Thompson halves to watch out for, probably starting at the U21 level next season. Martin is likely to keep the utility role in top-17. Boyd offering halfback depth and assuming all are available, Hanson could join Boyd as the NSW Cup halves combo with Cleary on the bench.

Hooker: Wayde Egan, Samuel Healey, Makaia Tafua, Jacob Auloa

Healey is in a funky battle with Martin for the bench utility spot. Christchurch's Tafua and Auckland's Auloa may lach the spark of Healey but they are brutal hookers who can play as small forwards as well. This could lead to them playing in the same team as Healey as Tafua/Auloa often shared the field together in U21s and NSW Cup this year, brewing towards a possible Erin Clark type of role.

Middle: James Fisher-Harris, Mitchell Barnett, Erin Clark, Marata Niukore, Jackson Ford, Demitric Vaimauga, Tanner Stowers-Smith, Eddie Ieremia-Toeava, Jason Salalilo, Rodney Tuipulotu-Vea

Barnett, Niukore, Ford and Ieremia-Toeava have all played edge forward in NRL so they could flex into those roles. Ieremia-Toeava and Stowers-Smith both averaged 30+ minutes in their first NRL season to show what is possible for young forwards like Salalilo. These three are all similar styles of middles who provide mobility and gritty mahi. Salalilo spent most of last season in NSW Cup while still U21 and along with Tuipulotu-Vea they will ensure that the NSW Cup forward pack sustains their excellent mahi from recent years.

Edge: Kurt Capewell, Leka Halasima, Jacob Laban, Morgan Gannon, Kayliss Fatialofa

There is no need to squeeze some of the lads listed above into edge forward roles with Capewell, Halasima and Laban covering this role at the NRL level. English forward Gannon is a new recruit who will need to out-perform Fatialofa to get to the Laban tier, let alone anything above that. Fatialofa was an 80-minute edge forward in NSW Cup despite still being U21s.

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Peace and love.