Organisers behind the New Zealand Warriors’ Australian-first development program say they were blown away by the emerging rugby league talent uncovered at a junior combine last week.
The combine – the club’s first since announcing its Australian base in Logan in July this year – drew 150 young players and about 35 staff from local clubs, plus former NRL pros, coaches and high-performance experts.
Ex-Warriors NRLW and Australian Jillaroos coach Brad Donald, who will lead the Warriors-Logan partnership as the football manager, said the combine last week exceeded expectations – both in scale and the calibre of talent.
“We were super happy,” he said.
“There’s heaps of talent here in Logan. The game has an enormous amount of talent, and we just don’t have the resources to develop everyone. But what this academy has done for the people in Logan is give them the opportunity.”
About 40 male and 40 female players will be selected from the combine to join an elite training program that will aim to give them a pathway into the NRL.
Mr Donald said successful participants would be selected over the coming days and begin a three-pillar academy in January focusing on personal development, on-field performance, and high-performance preparation.
He said academy selectors and coaches were impressed by the local talent.
“We had five ex-Warriors male players and one ex-female player, myself as ex-NRLW head coach and Andrew McFadden as an ex-NRL coach of the club – all frothing over the kids that we saw,” he said.
“There was so much potential.”
While he is cautious about predicting which players may become future NRL stars, Mr Donald said the key was keeping promising athletes engaged and supported for as long as possible.
“It’s really hard to predict talent,” he said.
“But what we do know is the longer we keep them in, the more we give them development, the more chance they’ll have.”
The combine also evaluated aspiring local coaches, with several expected to join the academy and return their new expertise to local sports clubs.
The Warriors have also partnered with Griffith University to run advanced athletic testing, giving local juniors a chance to measure themselves against elite standards.
In early 2026, academy players will begin regular training sessions, while community engagement will expand through former Logan Brothers junior and Warriors front rower Mark Tookey.
This part of the partnership will aim to help local young people connect with sport and career opportunities outside football.
A February trial match against the Redcliffe Dolphins will also feature academy players.
Mr Donald said the focus now was “to do a really great job with the academy” and expand to more age groups and more combines over the next year.
