Nine players have left the NSW Waratahs following the end of the 2026 Swyftx Super Rugby Pacific season.
Andrew Kellaway, Charlie Gamble, Joey Walton, Tom Lambert, Jamie Adamson, Leafi Talataina, Michael McDonald, Jack Debreczeni and Ioane Moananu have all played their final games as a Waratah.
Director of High Performance B-J Mather expressed his gratitude to the players for their efforts at the club.
“On behalf of the Waratahs, I would like to thank all the players that are leaving for the significant contribution they have made to the club, both on and off the field,” Mather said.
“Some have been here for several years, others for less, but every one of them has demonstrated immense commitment to the club and given their all in a Waratahs jersey.
“We wish them and their families all the best for the future and what lies next.”
Outside back Kellaway, 30, had two stints at the Waratahs, making his Super Rugby debut in 2016 at the age of just 20 against the Brumbies. Later that year, he was chosen as a development player on the Wallabies Spring Tour, such was his impact on that season.
After leaving in 2018, he went on to have stints at the Northampton Saints, Green Rockets Tokatsu and the Melbourne Rebels, making 50 Super Rugby appearances in four seasons at the latter, before returning to the club before the start of 2025. After a consistent season that year, he then played for the Wallabies in nine Test matches across their campaign that year, including a substitute appearance against the British & Irish Lions in the third Test in Sydney.
He has 42 Super Rugby caps for the Waratahs, scoring eight tries, including two in eight matches this season, both away against the Brumbies and the Highlanders.
Flanker Gamble, 30, leaves the club after first signing in October 2019. The 30-year-old took a unique road to Super Rugby, starting off as a star Christchurch schoolboy in New Zealand and progressing through the Crusaders Academy. After finding opportunities limited in his hometown, he took a gamble and crossed the ditch to Sydney, firstly to play for NSW Suburban Rugby side Petersham, a tier below Shute Shield and Sydney grade rugby. After excelling for Petersham and guiding them to a Premiership that season, he was then picked up by Shute Shield side Easts, before making the step up to the Waratahs the following season.
Gamble has gone on to prove himself as top operator in Super Rugby Pacific, playing 67 times for the Waratahs in the world’s premier club competition, scoring six tries. He won two man of the match awards against the British & Irish Lions during their tour of Australia last year, for the Waratahs and the inaugural First Nations & Pasifika XV, which he qualified for through his Tongan heritage.
Centre Walton, 26, debuted fof the Waratahs in 2020. Walton has gone on to establish himself as a regular starter in the centres for the club ever since. His consistent form earned invitations to Wallaby training camps and selection for the Australia A trips in both 2024 (England) and 2025 (Japan).
Walton has 57 caps for the Waratahs in Super Rugby, scoring five tries, including in last year’s 28-23 win against the Brumbies at Allianz Stadium in Round 6, helping to break a 13-game losing streak against their rivals.
He captained the club for the first and only time in 2025 in Round 7 against the Hurricanes in Wellington.
Loosehead prop Lambert, 25, was part of the Waratahs Academy and represented Australian Schools before moving to Scotland in 2020. He represented Scotland under-20s during the Six Nations, qualifying via one of his grandparents, and went on to play two seasons for Glasgow in the URC.
He returned to Sydney in 2023 and made an immediate impact at his hometown club, after making his Super Rugby debut against the Brumbies that year. In 2025, Lambert was a key part of the Super Rugby AUS-winning side, starting every game alongside hooker Ethan Dobbins and tighthead prop Daniel Botha. The combination went onto form the front-row for the majority of this season, before Lambert suffered a knee injury in the Round 12 loss to the Western Force at Allianz Stadium.
The 25-year-old has played a total of 30 times for the Tahs in Super Rugby Pacific.
Flanker Adamson, 26, was a late signing to the NSW Waratahs in December 2024 ahead of the 2025 season. A former England 7s representative who played for his country at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022, Adamson impressed head coach Dan McKellar during Easts’ 2024 Shute Shield-winning campaign so much that he earned a place in the Waratahs’ squad for 2025.
The 26-year-old made 21 appearances for the club in Super Rugby, scoring one try. He was one of the players of the competition in the Waratahs’ Super Rugby AUS victory, scoring two tries in the 42-34 win over the Brumbies at Viking Park in Round 3.
Back-rower Talataina, 22, arrived at the club from the Melbourne Rebels ahead of the 2025 season. Also born in Melbourne, Talataina made his debut in Round 4 against the Western Force at Allianz Stadium, going on to play 13 times for the club in Super Rugby.
Scrum-half McDonald, 26, is another player to have two different spells at the club, returning to Sydney for Super Rugby AUS in 2025 after a short spell at the Waratahs in 2020. He had also played for the Western Force, Ulster and Connacht during this time.
He made his first appearance for the Waratahs in 2,129 days in the 50-35 bonus-point win over the Fijian Drua in Suva in Round 14.
Fly-half Debreczeni, 32, leaves the Waratahs after one season, playing a part in all 14 of our matches this year. He made his 100th Super Rugby appearance in the Round 13 loss to the Highlanders in Dunedin. The 32-year-old has had a well-travelled career, playing for the likes of the Melbourne Rebels, Mie Honda Heat, Chiefs, Hino Red Dolphins and Brumbies before returning to his home state of NSW ahead of the 2026 season.
Hooker Moananu, 25, also departs after one season. He has scored six tries in just eight appearances, including in his final game in a Waratahs jersey in Round 16 against the Western Force in Perth.
