2026 Mid-Season Check In With The New Zealand Warriors Development System
The New Zealand Warriors development system is flourishing in 2026 with the NRL team perched near the top of the ladder with a hearty cluster of emerging talent settling into regular roles, while three 17-year-olds have made NSW Cup debuts as part of a tremendous wave of youngsters gathering reserve grade experience.
In the NRL, NZW are 9-3 and they are likely to play finals footy in the third of four seasons during the two Andys era. The NSW Cup Warriors were supposed to have a major dip from their 2025 dominance in which they won the NSW Cup and State Championships. There has been a dip but NZW are 6-6 and holding steady, which is especially impressive given how most of their squad is still eligible for U21s and the U21 team is tracking nicely with a 6-5 record.
Taine Tuaupiki and Samuel Healey aren't local juniors but they moved to Mt Smart as reserve graders via Queensland Cup and NSW Cup. Both have excelled in the NZW system with Tuaupiki snapping up his opportunity at fullback to overtake Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad and Healey played all 12 games before suffering an injury vs Panthers.
Tuaupiki's 14 games last year is his career high but he's on track to pass that having played 10 games already this season. Healey has been a regular on the bench and while his minutes have decreased from last season, he has played 10+ minutes in every game this season. Both had strong foundations in NSW Cup before elevating to regular NRL roles this season and they join the group of local juniors who have filled out the NRL team for a few games this season.
Ali Leiataua has already hit a career high with nine games at centre this season, passing his previous best of eight games last year. Leka Halasima has played all 12 games and Demitric Vaimauga has played 11 games after settling as consistent NRL players last season. Halasima has had less highlights this season but he's a 20-years-old who has played 60+ minutes in 10 of his 12 games this season (35mins off the bench in round one and 41mins before his injury vs Panthers).
Halasima has played 80 minutes in seven games this season and those efforts should be celebrated just as much as his splashes of x-factor, especially at such a young age. Vaimauga has played 30+ minutes in nine of his 11 games and has three games over 40 minutes, offering a reliable middle forward presence on the bench who usually does the most passing when Erin Clark takes a break.
Jacob Laban has played 11 games this season after 12 games last year. He has started seven games at edge forward and played 40+ minutes in all of those games, with 60+ minutes in four of them. While NZW will have Kurt Capewell back at edge forward along with Jackson Ford and Mitchell Barnett who have both covered the edge role this season, Halasima and Laban have started five games together as the edge forwards.
Tanner Stowers-Smith snuck in 13 games last year and he should pass that mark this year having played seven games already. While he doesn't have a regular role locked down, Stowers-Smith churns through big minutes for a bench forward when he is playing with 35+ minutes in six of his seven games this season.
Stowers-Smith has played 40+ minutes in two games this season and hit 39 minutes in two other games. More minutes means more mahi and Stowers-Smith has gone from 65m/game last season to 115m/game this season, operating as a hard and fast runner who has refreshed the forward pack in most games he's played this season.
Eddie Ieremia-Toeava has also played two games in the forwards this season after five last season. He had 34 minutes off the bench vs Eels and Ieremia-Toeava probably would have played big minutes against Dragons when he came on for Roger Tuivasa-Sheck but he suffered his own injury and finished with 17 minutes.
Stowers-Smith and Ieremia-Toeava set the tone for how NZW prepare players for NRL footy. Both have played 40+ NSW Cup games with Stowers-Smith playing most of his 47 games before he turned 22-years-old and Ieremia-Toeava has played 52 reserve grade games at 21-years-old.
Luke Hanson is the only NRL debutant this year for NZW and he is 22-years-old with 42 games experience in NSW Cup across three seasons. The most likely youngsters who could debut this year are Kayliss Fatialofa and Makaia Taufa, both of whom have played 40+ games of NSW Cup.
Fatialofa is in his second season of rolling through 80 minutes at edge forward in NSW Cup and has featured on the extended bench for the NRL team a few times this season. There are plenty of options to cover edge forward in the NRL and Fatialofa has zoned in on this role through his NSW Cup journey so it is unlikely he covers other positions at the NRL level. He does seem better suited to faster NRL footy than Marata Niukore right now though and his progression suggests he could debut this year.
Tafua is a dummy half who played 15+ NSW Cup games in his first two seasons and could hit that mark again this year having played nine games. Healey was the main dummy half last season and Tafua has quietly gathered experience as a small forward in reserve grade before taking over dummy half duties this year, with Jacob Auloa settling as the small forward alongside Tafua.
Healey's injury could open up an opportunity for Tafua to make his NRL debut soon and there is a clearer path to debut for Tafua compared to Fatialofa. That's amplified by the halves situation because Te Maire Martin has been brewing as the most versatile player in the NZW system but he has made the most of his opportunity at halfback. Hanson and Luke Metcalf are highly unlikely to cover dummy half which leaves Tafua as the best option.
The 40+ NSW Cup game mark isn't a rule but it is informative about how NZW development players towards NRL footy. Jett Cleary has already stacked up 25 games of NSW Cup as a 21-year-old and he has played all 11 games this season as the halfback, after 13 games last year in which he played a few different roles.
The combination of Hanson being a five-eighth and the murky Metcalf mangroves could present Cleary with an opportunity to play NRL sooner than most expect. There is clear progress in Cleary's NSW Cup mahi such has almost 100 more kicking metres per game compared to last season, along with more tries and try assists.
NZW will not rush any youngster though and as long as the vibe is right, they will roll with the more experienced options. Australia's fascination with the Cleary whanau made Jett overrated as the hype didn't match his standing in the Mt Smart system. That has flipped this year though with Cleary's consistency overlooked in much of the Metcalf kerfuffle, making him underrated for what he is doing with NZW.
Jye Linnane is another funky youngster who could quickly progress to NRL footy. Linnane joined from Knights last summer but came to Auckland mid-year to grind through his recovery from multiple knee injuries and he has played the last three NSW Cup games, starting at centre but also covering five-eighth.
Linnane has three tries, two try assists, 13 tackle breaks, averages 127m/game and is tackling at 93% efficiency in his three games for NZW. All of which reflects how Linnane worked through the Knights system as he was constantly playing up age-grades and had a NRL development contract before joining NZW. Right now he is 20-years-old and he won't be playing U21s any time soon.
NZW definitely won't be rushing Linnane though to NRL with his record of hefty knee injuries, which is amplified by how NZW build up players in NSW Cup. The way Linnane was shuffled straight into NSW Cup and his performances could lead to quicker progress than other juniors though. It's also tricky to nail down his best position as he was mainly a half coming through the Knights system but has settled at centre for most of his footy with NZW.
New recruits Haizyn Mellars and Cooper Page-Wilson have settled into regular NSW Cup roles. Mellars has locked down a wing spot and has missed a few weeks recently due to injury, while Page-Wilson was a late addition after moving from Queensland to add size and maturity to the NSW Cup forward pack.
Cassius Tia was a surprise inclusion earlier in the season after leaving Bulldogs. He played three games and came off the bench to cover centre, halves and small forward which reflects how talented Tia is. He hasn't played since round four though so he is probably battling injury and his return to NSW Cup will be an intriguing wrinkle to track over the next few months.
Working deeper down the pipeline makes it hard to sort out ages as some players don't have NSWRL profiles or any other information. There are a bunch of players who are U21s who have featured in NSW Cup to varying degrees. The outside back department is led by Caelys Putoko, Sio Kali, Motu Pasikala and Harry Tauafiafi-Iutoi while Jack Thompson has also played NSW Cup in the halves this season.
Braelan Marsh has played hooker and the forward pack is usually full of U21s with Jacob Auloa, Jason Salalilo, Rodney Tuipulotu-Vea, Christian Sikuvea, Tepatasi Laumalili and Emosi Ravosai leading the way.
Three 17-year-olds have made NSW Cup debuts to take things up a notch. Jemiah Lemana has mainly played centre but has held on to a bench spot thanks to his versatility. Bishop Neal has stayed in the team since his debut with six tries, two try assists, seven linebreaks, 23 tackle breaks and 17 offloads in his 10 games.
Amasio Tiatia also made his debut at 17yrs as a hooker, meaning that two teenagers have played hooker in NSW Cup this season along with Marsh (19yrs). Lemana and Marsh didn't play U19s this year, starting in U21s instead. Neal and Tiatia started this year in U19s along with Connor Bowden, Tyson Hansen and Joseph Ratcliffe who have also made NSW Cup debuts this year.
Neal, Tiatia, Bowden, Hansen and Ratcliffe have all played U19, U21 and NSW Cup so far this year. Bowden's been the most surprising riser through the NZW system as he has started both his NSW Cup games at edge forward and probably would have played 80 minutes in both game but he was sin-binned in his most recent game.
Hansen has crept on to the NSW Cup bench in recent weeks as a highly talented utility. He can play in the halves and the forwards which has led to good game time in his two games with 15 minutes vs Dragons followed by 38 minutes vs Panthers. Ratcliffe made his debut vs Panthers at fullback and could find a regular NSW Cup groove now that he has had a taste.
This leaves plenty of talent in the U21 group that hasn't played NSW Cup this year. The best players in this cluster are Brandon Norris, Ngangatafu Vakue, Harry Inch, Gordon Afoa, Kahu Capper and Dezman Laban. Other funky wrinkles include Hohepa Chandler brewing as a hard mahi middle forward after coming from premier rugby in Tauranga, Lauti Lauvao returning from Panthers to sneak on to the wing for one game and Krushil Koteka moving up from U19s as a middle forward.
To map things out here is a depth chart trying to select players in one position...
Fullback: Joseph Ratcliffe, Motu Pasikala
Wing: Haizyn Mellars, Sio Kali, Harry Tauafiafi-Iutoi, Brandon Norris, Lauti Lauvao, Mark Sikuvea
Centre: Jye Linnane, Jeremiah Lemana, Caelys Putoko, Ngangatatafu Vake, Taipari Wikitera
Half: Jett Cleary, Jack Thompson, Harry Inch, Maui Winitana-Patelesio
Hooker: Makaia Tafua, Jacob Auloa, Braelan Marsh, Amasio Tiatia
Middle: Jason Salalilo, Rodney Tuipulotu-Vea, Christian Sikuvea, Tepatasi Laumalili, Emosi Ravosai, Godon Afoa, Mikaele Ilaiu, Hohepa Chandler, Krushil Koteka
Edge: Kayliss Fatialofa, Bishop Neal, Connor Bowden, Kahu Capper, Dezman Laban, Lucas Carmine, Miltonimolela Sikuvea
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