Warriors commit to staying in Australia, seeing out NRL season
The NRL has cleared a major hurdle with the New Zealand Warriors committing to remaining in Australia and playing for as long as the competition keeps running.
Warriors players met on Thursday night and again on Friday morning at their new Kingscliff base, faced with the prospect of staying away from their families indefinitely.
Australiaās new border laws now preventĀ non-citizens and residents from entering the country during the coronavirus from Friday night, effectively locking out numerous families.
Warriors officials believed that could spell the end of the playersā time in Australia, given the original plan allowed families to join them in coming weeks.
But while some were in tears in last weekās meeting after agreeing to stay, the players have now told CEO Cameron George they are in for the long haul.
āWeāre in, weāre committed,ā George said.
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āItās game on for us now. Weāve had the decision made as a collective. To do it for our sponsors and our fans, weāre locked in.
āHowever long the competition stays around for (weāre in), who knows. It could be six months, it could be one week.ā
It means the Warriorsā clash with Canberra on the Gold Coast will go ahead as planned, before they meet Manly at Lottoland next Friday night.
The news will come as a huge relief to the NRL.
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While they had contingencies in place to play without the Warriors, they will now still be able to fulfil their eight games per week as outlined in broadcast agreements.
The decision could also give them a small amount of flexibility should a player or staff member from any team tests positive to the virus.
āIf we were told to leave your family and live in another country for an indefinite period, not many would ā¦ weāre very proud of the players,ā George said.
āThe deciding factor was that itās our time to be leaders in the community and rugby league ā¦ weāre going to stand tall and be leaders and take it on.
āIf we walked away from whatās before us I think it would have started to break up the competition and there would have been some dramas.ā
The Warriors flew four injured players over on Wednesday night for back up, as well as extra staff.
Itās also believed Patrick Herbert was returning to Australia on Friday before the 9pm lockout, with he and the players from their rehab squad free to leave self-isolation for round four.
Centre Peta Hiku remains in New Zealand as he awaits the birth of his child and it is unclear if he will meet requirements to travel to Australia.
The club has also borrowed balls and training gear from local clubs on the Gold Coast and in northern NSW, as they tackle the logistical headache of continuing their season.
ā AAP
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