After a stellar 2023 season, where the Warriors reached the preliminary finals and caught the hearts and minds of New Zealand, big things were expected in 2024.
However, despite the re-signing of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, injuries and inconsistency plagued the Warriors this year as they fell well short of the finals.
Coach Andrew Webster knows he needs to have a big year next year to ensure he proves he and the club are not one-hit wonders, and some big changes are afoot across the ditch.
The Sporting News looks at who is coming in and who is leaving the Warriors ahead of next season.
MORE: Which players are leaving the Panthers? | Which players are leaving the Eels?
Which players have left the New Zealand Warriors in 2024?
The biggest departure from the Warriors is an emotional one, as legendary halfback Shaun Johnson announced his retirement at the end of the season.
A hugely popular figure at the club and even with neutral fans, the 34-year-old played 224 times for the club over two stints, most notably helping them to a Grand Final appearance in his rookie season thanks to a memorable assist in the preliminary final.
After a brief stint at the Sharks, he came back to the Warriors in 2022 and had one of his best seasons in years in the successful 2023 campaign.
Whilst his final season didn't pan out the way he wanted, he had a memorable moment in his final match, with a last ditch match-winning assist with a brilliant cut out pass to cue celebrations of pandemonium.
The other big departure is Addin Fonua-Blake; the big forward wanted to leave at the start of 2024, but was convinced to hang around for the rest of the year before making the move to Cronulla.
Full list of New Zealand Warriors departures
List updated as of October 11th
| Player | New Club |
|---|---|
| Addin Fonua-Blake | Cronulla Sharks |
| Jazz Tevaga | Manly Sea Eagles |
| Shaun Johnson | Retired |
| Marcelo Montoya | Canterbury Bulldogs |
Who have the New Zealand Warriors signed for 2025?
Despite losing two big players, the Warriors have been active in the market, including with one of the biggest signings of the offseason.
Four time premiership winning forward James Fisher-Harris shocked the NRL earlier this year when he announced he would be joining the Warriors on a four-year deal, and he will be joined by Nathan Cleary's younger brother Jett, who is also coming from the Panthers' youth setup.
Erin Clark is signing from the Titans, whilst Kahu Capper, Kalani Going, Luke Hanson and Samuel Healey are also making the move to New Zealand.
The side has also made important re-signings, including Mitch Barnett, Wade Egan, Tohu Harris and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak.
