New Zealand Warriors have had their best NSW Cup season of the two Andys era and that's an almighty achievement given that this is their third consecutive year of top-four mahi in NSW Cup. Add in Queensland Cup and NZW are the only team that has finished top-four in each of the last three years, which smells like the best reserve grade outfit across both competitions during this period.

This year NZW had 21 wins, two losses and one draw. Their 11-1 record in home games was matched by their 10-1 record in away games and that's especially impressive because no other team had less than three losses in their away games. While NZW were the only team to score 700+ points (797) and concede less than 400 points (386), the 2025 campaign featured the most points scored and fewest points conceded per game of the two Andys era.

NSW Cup dominance in two Andys era

2023: 3rd | 14-9-1

Points per game: 26.2 for | 19.5 against

2024: 4th | 14-9-1

Points per game: 24.5 for | 21 against

2025: 1st | 21-2-1

Points per game: 33.2 for | 16 against

One thing that stands out for the NSW Cup Warriors is how they have maintained their excellence and even improved with a wide range of personnel involved. This includes the coach as Slade Griffin was the coach in 2023 and then David Tangata-Toa coached the last two seasons, with Griffin moving to an NRL assistant coach role.

There has also been waves of older reserve-grade tier players and fabulous young talent move through the NSW Cup Warriors throughout this period. Ben Farr and Paul Roache are funky examples because they were both hearty members of the NSW Cup team for the first two years of this period, then they departed and NZW kept winning.

Roache has been starting hooker for Burleigh this season in Queensland Cup and Farr returned to Wynnum where he has been a regular at fullback. Interestingly, Farr was joined by Toni Tupouniua in moving to Wynnum ahead of this season and Garry Tuilekutu made a sneaky mid-season shift from NZW to Wynnum earlier this year where he has played a bunch of games on the wing.

Nicholas Halalilo made a strong impressive as a NSW Cup Warrior early in the two Andys era and he left for a stint with Townsville before settling with Ipswich. These are just a few easy examples of players who have passed through the NZW system and moved to equal, if not more prominent roles in Australia.

Then there are the youngsters who were promoted from within the NZW system. Demitric Vaimauga and Ali Leiataua went straight into the NSW Cup team after returning from the Redcliffe-Warriors, while Jacob Laban, Leka Halasima, Tanner Stowers-Smith and Eddie Ieremia-Toeava started 2023 in SG Ball Cup and quickly settled into NSW Cup.

The 2025 campaign is extra deluxe funky because those youngsters haven't played much NSW Cup footy in the second half of the season and the reserve grade team has continued their journey of excellence. Some would assume that NSW Cup Warriors success was because of those young forwards coming through reserve grade at the same time or in the case of 2025, that Tanah Boyd and Te Maire Martin were too good for NSW Cup.

Instead, the NSW Cup Warriors have been winning with a fresh wave of youngsters sprinkled amongst a core of mature players who deserve to be celebrated as servants of Mt Smart. Kalani Going and Geronimo Doyle stand out as players who may not ooze NRL potential but they have been crucial members of the NSW Cup group in the two Andys era.

Moala Graham-Taufa and Edward Kosi have already picked up fresh opportunities with Rabbitohs next season. They have offered NRL depth as well as being dependable outside backs for the NSW Cup team where they have settled as two of the best outside backs in reserve grade during this period.

Others like Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale, Setu Tu and Morgan Harper epitomise the culture of the NSW Cup Warriors as they balance their greater ambitions with being content to be leaders of this team. Afoa has somehow gathered mana despite being overtaken by the youngsters in the NRL forward pack mix. He could have demanded a release and kicked up a stink as many NRL calibre players have done before, but Afoa has instead embraced his role in the Mt Smart farm.

Martin played six games earlier in the season with a 5-1 record and hasn't played NSW Cup since round nine. Since then NZW have 16 wins, one loss and one draw. Boyd won all of his NSW Cup games this season (14-0) so his impact is notable, but it's also notable that Jett Cleary has an 8-1-1 record as the starting halfback.

Luke Hanson has played in only one loss this season and he has been joined in the NSW Cup Warriors by his Penrith cuzzy Cleary to form an Under 21 halves combination that maintained the winning mahi when Martin then Boyd moved up to NRL. Roughly half of any NSW Cup Warriors team each week were U21 players and as well as their U21 halves combo, the NSW Cup Warriors has had an U21 dummy half rotation in a bunch of games this season as well.

Makaia Tafua has already played 31 games of NSW Cup while still being eligible for U21s and Jacob Auloa has played 14 games in the same age bracket. They have continued to get NSW Cup game time despite the arrival of Samuel Healey and this is due to their rugged ability to play as small forwards, following the stylistic profile of Erin Clark and Kalani Going.

The U21 bracket can be tweaked to U22 which includes Toby Crosby and Caleb Laiman. Laiman did a solid job in the halves when Hanson was out injured for a few weeks, while Crosby has played 22 games this season as a regular presence on the bench after spending last year in the U21 team.

Crosby is the oldest of the next up young forward wave as all the other young forwards who have played low key big roles for the NSW Cup Warriors this year are U21s. Kayliss Fatialofa has churned through 80mins as an edge forward all season and he's following the development path of Ieremia-Toeava. Fatialofa is 20-years-old and he didn't play a game for the U21s this year, strictly NSW Cup.

Jason Salalilo has emerged as the funkiest addition to the NSW Cup Warriors forward pack as he wasn't on the radar at this level early in the year. Salalilo only played one game of U21s last year and after starting the 2025 season in U21s, he has stepped up to play 19 games of NSW Cup where he usually played 30+ minutes coming off the bench alongside Crosby.

Salailo did flash his versatility with some edge forward mahi as well, starting on an edge in the last round of the regular season. Salalilo and Tafua are from Christchurch and with Stowers-Smith moving up to the NRL this season, these two are the next best NZW juniors from the South Island.

Salalilo and Crosby have spent most of this season coming off the bench. Meanwhile, Harry Durbin and Rodney Tuipultou-Vea have played most of their NSW Cup footy as starting middle forwards even though they have played more U21 footy this year.

Durbin has played 10+ games in NSW Cup for two seasons in a row and and he has been a starter in eight of his 10 games this season. Tuipulotu-Vea has been a started in six of his seven games this season and has played 15+ games of U21s for two years in a row.

Daeon Amituanai returned to NZW after a few years with Panthers and played 10 games this season, but he has played just one game since round 13. Amituanai has NRL upside but all the outside back focus is on Sio Kali who has flourished this year with 12 tries in 11 games. Kali played one game of U21s this year but when available, he has settled as a starting winger in NSW Cup and the freakish outside back talent has quietly gathered 18 games of NSW Cup experience across two seasons.

In most cases, when the NSW Cup Warriors depth has been challenged this season they have dipped into the Jersey Flegg Cup team. Etuate Fukofuka and Patrick Moimoi added to their NSW Cup experience while playing most of this year in the U21 team, while Motu Pasikala found a groove of consistency in Jersey Flegg Cup after flashing his ability in NSW Cup last season.

2025 could be viewed as a demotion for these players but they have battled injuries and all three have quirky situations. Fukofuka and Pasikala joined NZW after leaving 1st 15 rugby and while their talent allowed them to play NSW Cup, the best thing for their development is consistent roles in rugby league that were more likely to be offered in the U21 team.

Fukofuka got his NSW Cup opportunity in 2023 as a hooker and now he has added more repetitions as a small forward. Pasikala emerged as a wing/fullback and most of his Jersey Flegg Cup footy this year was at centre. Same thing for Moimoi who played NSW Cup in 2023 as a centre and he played most of his Jersey Flegg Cup footy as an edge forward this year, which flowed into being on the bench in his NSW Cup games this year.

Moimoi is listed as a Mangere East junior but he also joined NZW from rugby union, having played 1st 15 for De La Salle College and then Manukau Rovers. These three have all had to adapt to rugby league systems as well as tinkering with their positions, but they have all responded to splashes of adversity well; Fukofuka and Moimoi returned to NSW Cup recently and Pasikala found a groove for U21s late this season.

Caelys Putoko and Alvin Chong Nee also made their NSW Cup debuts this year. Putoko played one game at centre and edge forward Chong Nee came off the bench in his appearance, with the team winning both games that these two played.

Regardless of how NSW Cup finals play out, the evidence is clear that NZW have established a top-notch reserve grade outfit. The NSW Cup Warriors are an excellent development foundation for young players but NZW also rely on mature blokes who put the organisation ahead of their own needs or desires. This is the ideal balance between high performance and development.

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