Fresh off a season that delivered three major trophies, the One New Zealand Warriors begin their New South Wales Cup defence with a dramatically reshaped squad, hosting the Sydney Roosters at Go Media Stadium on Friday night (5.15pm kick-off).
The scale of turnover is striking. Just five players remain from the team that lifted the NRL State Championship last October: playmaker Luke Hanson, second-row pair Kayliss Fatialofa and Eddie Ieremia-Toeava, utility half Jett Cleary and Geronimo Doyle. This week Doyle shifts to fullback, Hanson and Cleary steer the side in the halves, while Fatialofa and Ieremia-Toeava anchor the back row.
Surrounding them is a wave of emerging talent drawn largely from the club’s development system. Outside backs Haizyn Mellars and Motu Pasikala line up on the flanks, with Sio Kali and Caelys Putoko in the centres. Up front, Rodney Tuipulotu-Vea and Emosi Ravosai provide size and go-forward, supported by hooker Makaia Tafua and loose forward Junior (Paea) Sikuvea.
The interchange features half Jack Thompson, props Tepatasi Laumalili and Sam Waterworth, hooker Jaydee Auloa and winger Daeon Amituanai, underlining the youth-driven nature of the squad. Mellars is the only new addition from outside the club’s pathways programme.
All 18 named players have had a taste of senior preparation, appearing either in the Warriors’ NRL trial fixtures or the recent reserve-grade clash against Redcliffe — and in several cases both.
With head coach David Tangata-Toa guiding a largely homegrown roster, the Warriors’ NSW Cup campaign signals the beginning of a fresh chapter built on youth, continuity and long-term development.
