KEY POINTS:
It's hitting almost feverish heights in Australia but player recruitment hasn't moved into full swing at Warriors HQ.
It's not likely to, either. Certainly not in the way some Australian clubs are attacking it. The Bulldogs are expected to be the most active in the market after losing Willie Mason, Mark O'Meley, Brent Sherwin and Willie Tonga and have a wishlist bigger than a child's at Christmas time.
Like most clubs, one-third of the Warriors' top 25 players come off contract at the end of the season.
A couple of big earners are on that list, too, raising the possibility of some significant money being available for recruitment.
Ruben Wiki (estimated to be earning $400,000) has already announced he's hoping to play in the UK next season while skipper Steve Price ($400,000) is also off contract.
The club could well try to persuade Price to suit up for another year, particularly if he plays as he did in 2007, but are waiting to see what his form and appetite are like when he returns from his hamstring injury next month.
Others in the top 25 off contract are Logan Swann, Wairangi Koopu, Michael Crockett, Aidan Kirk and Toleafoa Leaupepe and the club have an option for another year with centre Ryan Shortland.
Warriors chief executive Wayne Scurrah said that, while a marquee signing was not out of the question, it was unlikely for a number of reasons.
One of the principal ones was that significant money was being swallowed up in re-signing and upgrading contracts with existing players.
Giant winger Manu Vatuvei, for instance, re-signed last week until the end of 2011 even though his contract didn't run out until the end of 2009. Similarly, Sam Rapira signed a new five-year deal last season even though the old one had two more years.
"We are pencilling in a squad for the next few years and we have identified a few players who are crucial to that," Scurrah said. "It started with Sam Rapira and carried on with Sonny Fai and Manu Vatuvei, and there are others to come."
The scrapping of the June 30 anti-tampering deadline has meant clubs are re-signing their top players earlier in the year to scare off potential suitors.
The introduction of the Toyota Cup under-20 competition has also muddied the waters, with a greater number of contracts coming into the salary cap equation.
"It's significantly more complicated this year due to the Toyota Cup and salary cap restrictions there. If you want to retain a young player or upgrade someone playing very well you need to make space in the top 25 now."
The top 25 players must fit within a A$4.1 million salary cap, while the top 20 under-20 players can't exceed A$250,000 and have a minimum salary of $17,500.
Although local talent remains the Warriors' priority, Scurrah said, there will always be a need to import players.
"Over time we hope that becomes less and less because of our development systems. We hope that between two and four would be the maximum [each year]."
Many fans would like to see one of those filled by a quality half. They're likely to be disappointed this year because the Warriors' halves are contracted beyond this year, but it's understood this is a major consideration for the 2010 season.
Michael Witt, Nathan Fien, Lance Hohaia and Grant Rovelli all come off contract at the end of next season and some serious decisions will need to be made on the foursome.
None are absolute certainties for another deal but Witt has proved his worth, particularly as a goalkicker, Fien has been in good form early this season and Hohaia has his limitations but is the ultimate utility.
The greatest doubts, however, surround halfback Rovelli and his ability to take a game by the scruff of the neck. The club have an option on the 24-year-old until the end of 2010.
"We are pretty happy with the way the halves are going at the moment and we are well away from considering anything outside of the players we have got," Scurrah said. "We don't know where we will finish this year and we have only had five games to assess performance this year."
Cooper Cronk is known to be coming off contract next season but he will have a number of suitors if he doesn't remain with Melbourne.
Youngsters Rangi Chase and Eddie Paea are among those coming off contract at the end of this season, as is Brisbane hooker/halfback Michael Ennis.
The best of those on the open market are, arguably, Manly centre Steve Bell, Parramatta five-eighth Brett Finch, Dragons centre Matt Cooper and Roosters lock Anthony Tupou.
"We are not in talks to sign any players outside the club at the moment," Scurrah said.
"All we are doing is talking about potential positions."
The Warriors seem well covered in the front row, even with Wiki's imminent departure and the uncertainty surrounding Price.
Rapira and Evarn Tuimavave have stepped up well in Price's absence and Russell Packer, Leeson Ah Mau and Mataupu Poching have been in impressive form for the under-20s.
There might well be a vacancy in the second row, though, with both Swann and Koopu off contract.
Swann, 33, could well stay at Mt Smart for another season after a series of solid performances in 2007 but the smart money is on him returning to the UK to finish his career.
Koopu has seen only 47 minutes of first-team action this year and his agent has already looked into a move to the UK.
The 28-year-old has fallen behind Fai and Epalahame Lauaki in the pecking order and is said to lack confidence as a result. After nine years with the Warriors, he might see it as a good time to try something different.
The other area of interest could be finding another winger/fullback.
With both Crockett and Kirk off contract and battling to be retained, the club will need cover. Youngsters Solomona, Kevin Locke and Howie Matthews could come into the equation but they might look to bring in another experienced player in the meantime.
They were caught short by the serious injury suffered by Wade McKinnon in pre-season and have been fortunate Hohaia has deputised so well. Hohaia isn't, though, a long-term option at fullback.
Trying to work out an NRL squad is like completing a jigsaw puzzle: sometimes the pieces fit, sometimes they don't.
Scurrah said that, in an increasingly competitive marketplace they were already working on shadow squads for 2010 and 2011.
While it would be interesting to take a peek at that, what holds more interest is what the squad will look like in 2009.
