OFFICIAL 2026 Roster

PLAYER ROSTER FOR 2026 AND BEYOND
Red: yet to be extended.

PLAYER		2026	2027	2028	2029
Adam Reynolds	Half	2026	Coach?
Aublix Tawha	Prop	2026	2027
Ben Hunt	Half, hooker	2026
Ben Talty	Second Row, Prop, Lock	2026	2027
Ben Te Kura	Prop	2026	NFL?
Billy Walters	Hooker, half	2026
Blake Mozer	Hooker	2026	2027
Brendan Piakura	Second row	2026	2027
Corey Jensen	Prop	2026	2027
Cory Paix	Hooker, half	2026	2027	2028
Deine Mariner	Centre, wing	2026	2027
Delouise Hoeter	Centre, wing	2026
Ezra Mam	Half	2026	2027	2028	2029
Gehamat Shibisaki	Centre, Wing	2026
Grant Anderson	Centre, wing, fullback	2026	Warriors
Hayze Perham	Fullback	Develop
Jack Gosiewski	Second Row	2026
Jaiyden Hunt	Prop, lock, second Row	2026
Jesse Arthars	Centre, wing, fullback	2026	Titans/Japan
Jonah Pezet	Half		2027	2028	2029
Josh Rogers	Half	2026
Jordan Riki	Second row	2026	2027
Josiah Karapani	Centre, wing	2026	2027
Kotoni Staggs	Centre	2026	2027	2028
Mitch Barnett	Prop		2027	2028	2029
Patrick Carrigan	Prop, lock	2026	2027	2028
Payne Haas	Prop	2026	Souths
Preston Riki	Second Row	2026	2027	2028
Reece Walsh	Fullback	2026	2027	2028	2029
Tom Duffy	Half	2026
Va'a Semu	Prop	2026	2027	2028
Xavier Willison	Prop	2026	2027

DEVELOPMENT (2026) - One remaining to confirm

Cameron Bukowski: hooker

Ben Talty: forward

Phillip Coates: centre, wing

Jared Horne: lock

Hayze Perham: fullback (unconfirmed)

Braithen Scott: half (unconfirmed)

Tupou Francis: lock (unconfirmed)

STOCKS

Front Row
Carrigan, Haas, Hunt, Willison, Jensen, Te Kura, Semu, Talty, Tawha

Second Row
Piakura, J. Riki, Hunt, Gosiewski, Talty, P. Riki

Lock
Carrigan, Hunt, Talty

Hooker
Hunt, Mozer, Paix, Walters

Half
Duffy, Hunt, Reynolds, Mam, Walters, Paix, Rogers, Black

Fullback
Walsh, Anderson, Perham, Arthars

Centre
Staggs, Shibasaki, Mariner, Arthars, Hoeter, Karapani, Tawha (?)

Wing
Arthars, Shibasaki, Mariner, Hoeter, Karapani


ETHNO MAP

QLD
Ben Hunt, Ben Te Kura, Billy Walters, Blake Mozer, Brendan Piakura, Coby Black, Corey Jensen, Cory Paix, Delouise Hoeter, Ezra Mam, Jack Gosiewski, Jaiyden Hunt, Josh Rogers, Patrick Carrigan, Reece Walsh, Gehemat Shibisaki

NZ
Jesse Arthars, Jordan Riki, Xavier Willison, Josiah Karapani, Preston Riki, Semu

NSW
Adam Reynolds, Kotoni Staggs, Payne Haas

Indigenous
Ezra Mam, Jordan Riki, Kotoni Staggs, Reece Walsh

Tonga
Kotoni Staggs, Delouise Hoeter

Samoa
Payne Haas, Deine Mariner

Cook Islands
Brendan Piakura

 

[McHunt]

I`ll say it again - if he is not consistently in the 17 next year , bye bye .
He`ll be 5 years since high school by then .

I agree: he should ask for a contract release if he isn't getting first grade time in 2026. The Titans would snap him up.

 

[Manofoneway]

I agree: he should ask for a contract release if he isn't getting first grade time in 2026. The Titans would snap him up.

No he shouldn't. I bet he stays even if he isn't picked next year, he probably loves the club.. like coates!

 

[McHunt]

No he shouldn't. I bet he stays even if he isn't picked next year, he probably loves the club.. like coates!

Coates was right to leave.

 

[Manofoneway]

Coates was right to leave.

Yes but as a selfish supporter. I want to keep all of our good players!

 

[1910]

Born 2004 .
He`s not a boy anymore ...

I`ll say it again - if he is not consistently in the 17 next year , bye bye .
He`ll be 5 years since high school by then .


If he was at another club other than the one that had the GOAT he probably could have been Rookie of the year before then .
Mozer and Grant are not even in the same post code when it comes to playing foot ball .

He made his NRL debut for the Melbourne Storm in their Round 11 match against Manly-Warringah .He had his Melbourne jersey (cap number 188) presented to him by Melbourne captain Cameron Smith.

In 2019, Grant spent the majority of the season playing for the Sunshine Coast Falcons in the Queensland Cup, taking them to the minor premiership and earning a spot in the Queensland Cup Team of the Year He was also named the Falcons Player of the Year, winning the James Ackerman Medal.

That's some in-depth cutting and pasting there- why don't you tell us about your comparison between 2019 Grant and Mozer?

Grant was still playing Cup at the same age as Mozer and had a side with Hynes and Tino, Olam and Hughes and couldn't make a Grand Final and lost two finals after that minor premiership in 2019 to go out- don't leave that out of your cutting and pasting. Mozer still hasn't hit the amount of Cup games that Grant played.

So, playing Cup still at 22 isn't that bad, it can be overcome.

 

[BroncosFever]

And WTF would you know anyway ?

Good retort that. Thanks for keeping the discussion going.

 

[McHunt]

Yes but as a selfish supporter. I want to keep all of our good players!

The venom aimed at him ignores that he was a Storm junior and best mates with Tom Dearden. They both lived with Macca, who was like their surrogate dad. The rest of his household found themselves on ther outer, despite public platitudes.

The club was an absolute basket case, coming off a wooden spoon and sacking a coach who was threatening to sue everyone for malicious gossip. The incoming coach, whose first act was to let Reece Walsh go, was turning Dearden, the club's best halves talent since Lockyer, into a nervous wreck and wasn't inspiring much confidence beyond some nostalgic feels.

You expect every player to say their love their club and want to be there for life while negotiating their future. When someone bucks that rule, like DCE, it gets extremely ugly fast.

 

[Manofoneway]

The venom aimed at him ignores that he was a Storm junior and best mates with Tom Dearden. They both lived with Macca, who was like their surrogate dad. The rest of his household found themselves on ther outer, despite public platitudes.

The club was an absolute basket case, coming off a wooden spoon and sacking a coach who was threatening to sue everyone for malicious gossip. The incoming coach, whose first act was to let Reece Walsh go, was turning Dearden, the club's best halves talent since Lockyer, into a nervous wreck and wasn't inspiring much confidence beyond some nostalgic feels.

You expect every player to say their love their club and want to be there for life while negotiating their future. When someone bucks that rule, like DCE, it gets extremely ugly fast.

Oh no. I was just being light hearted. Of course I dont expect them all to stay!

Doesn't make me want our boys to win a premiership before coates any less...

 

[McHunt]

Oh no. I was just being light hearted. Of course I dont expect them all to stay!

Doesn't make me want our boys to win a premiership before coates any less...

He's certainly become a threatening rival this season. In contrast with Cobbo, his successor.

 

[Big Del]

That's some in-depth cutting and pasting there- why don't you tell us about your comparison between 2019 Grant and Mozer?

Grant was still playing Cup at the same age as Mozer and had a side with Hynes and Tino, Olam and Hughes and couldn't make a Grand Final and lost two finals after that minor premiership in 2019 to go out- don't leave that out of your cutting and pasting. Mozer still hasn't hit the amount of Cup games that Grant played.

So, playing Cup still at 22 isn't that bad, it can be overcome.

Let me reiterate in case you missed the other posts saying the same thing .
I said if he is not in the top 17 consistently next season let him go .

I didn`t start the comparisons with Harry Grant .

I have seen them both play . I don`t see what the hype on Mozer is about .
Also the last time Mozer played he was targeted and his defence led directly to 2 tries .

So like I also said he needs to fix his shoulder or forget about NRL .


PS the winning percentage of a team does not necessarily indicate the players abilities .
I present Payne Hass as an example .


re the copy paste - people in glass houses should not throw stones ...

 

[Xzei]

grant was unfortunate to have probably the greatest 9 of all time in front of him

 

[1910]

Let me reiterate in case you missed the other posts saying the same thing .
I said if he is not in the top 17 consistently next season let him go .

I didn`t start the comparisons with Harry Grant .

I have seen them both play . I don`t see what the hype on Mozer is about .
Also the last time Mozer played he was targeted and his defence led directly to 2 tries .

So like I also said he needs to fix his shoulder or forget about NRL .


PS the winning percentage of a team does not necessarily indicate the players abilities .
I present Payne Hass as an example .


re the copy paste - people in glass houses should not throw stones ...

I don't need to cut and paste mate- I watch football.

You directly linked the dysfunctional Souths and put it on 100% on Mozer. Now we are moving the goal posts after I linked Grant's lack of Grand Final in the same comp at the same age.

 

[Battler]

grant was unfortunate to have probably the greatest 9 of all time in front of him

How do the storm keep blokes like Grant, Pezet, and Sua around happy to play qcup until they’re like 22/23 years old? It can’t be the storm’s success on the field because riff are losing guns like Ikat and Iongi the second that they’re discovered.

Very odd!

 

[theshed]

I would say that out of all positions, hooker is probably the one that needs the longest apprenticeship. Halfback second.

You touch the ball every set, and make close to the most tackles per game. You have to make 50+ decisions per game - in attack and defence.

A winger can debut at 19 and look down their spot if they are big and fast enough. The average winger has about 12 engagements a game.

Mozer, like Grant, will be much better for learning his trade and becoming more robust before locking down a full time spot in our 17. Just depends if he sees it that way.

 

[1910]

How do the storm keep blokes like Grant, Pezet, and Sua around happy to play qcup until they’re like 22/23 years old? It can’t be the storm’s success on the field because riff are losing guns like Ikat and Iongi the second that they’re discovered.

Very odd!

Not the best example, Longi went to Penrith in 22 and played Flegg and then Cup in 22, 23 and 24 and had to get a release to join Eels in 25.

He was happy to play 59 Cup games for Penrith.

 

[1910]

I would say that out of all positions, hooker is probably the one that needs the longest apprenticeship. Halfback second.

You touch the ball every set, and make close to the most tackles per game. You have to make 50+ decisions per game - in attack and defence.

A winger can debut at 19 and look down their spot if they are big and fast enough. The average winger has about 12 engagements a game.

Mozer, like Grant, will be much better for learning his trade and becoming more robust before locking down a full time spot in our 17. Just depends if he sees it that way.

Lot more pressure on a hooker in those Cup teams too, Mariner goes back to the Bears Burt says nice to meet you, just run the ball mate, we will get it to you. Mozer goes back to Souths and he has a lot more to worry about because of his position and it's Souths. Yes it's part of being a hooker but it's like learning to drive at 5pm on the highway on Friday with your dad yelling while Mariner is in a car park with is calm mum.

Mozer started the season late and then came into a side not winning and then broke his jaw- that's as bad as a season gets.

I'd love him to have a Grant 2019 year so we can move on and say he's nailed Cup, but it just hasn't worked out that way yet. I would just for comparison love to see him at the Bears.

 

[Bull Shark]

How do the storm keep blokes like Grant, Pezet, and Sua around happy to play qcup until they’re like 22/23 years old? It can’t be the storm’s success on the field because riff are losing guns like Ikat and Iongi the second that they’re discovered.

Very odd!

I don’t think it’s an exact science in that it’s just as much the player’s willingness to stay in the queue as it is the club’s ability to sell the vision and incentivise them to stay.. no two players are wired the same in that respect

Secondly, I think it comes down to weight of numbers at Penrith.. At the Storm, someone like Pezet knows there’s one guy he’s waiting on to go.. At Penrith, there might be a handful of young blokes all vying to be next in line for certain positions in the NRL team

 

[McHunt]

I would say that out of all positions, hooker is probably the one that needs the longest apprenticeship. Halfback second.

You touch the ball every set, and make close to the most tackles per game. You have to make 50+ decisions per game - in attack and defence.

A winger can debut at 19 and look down their spot if they are big and fast enough. The average winger has about 12 engagements a game.

Mozer, like Grant, will be much better for learning his trade and becoming more robust before locking down a full time spot in our 17. Just depends if he sees it that way.

It's the position where Union and League diverge.

A League hooker is like a Union halfback, in that he's first on the scene to distribute the ball, usually crouching with a long pass. Whereas in League, the halfback is first receiver, rarely needing to crouch unless covering dummy half.

A Union hooker has to win scrums and feed line-outs. There's little crossover.

So someone who's played halfback in school Rugby will bring superior skills to the position, like playing AFL for fullback. Not only are they skilled at passing, they should be nippy at finding gaps in the line.

However, the League hooker is more often judged on how well they impede the progress of ruck runners and finish off tackles. Union tackles are messy affairs that are about switching position, so defence doesn't translate.

A League hooker can get away with mundanely lobbing to the first receiver, if they can tackle.

In short, I reckon a gun Union schoolboy halfback who's done an apprenticeship in senior League might be as good as you can get.