Warriors left frustrated
Frustration is building at the Warriors as they continue to wait for answers from the NRL over how the revamped season will look for the club.
Warriors chief executive Cameron George sent an email to NRL headquarters last Friday with a list of questions from players, which was followed by chairman Rob Croot reaching out to Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) boss Peter V’landys yesterday morning stressing a need for urgency.
That prompted a call from NRL head of football Graham Annesley, although there was no major update other than to say that more will be known once the situation progresses with the broadcasters,
While the NRL is planning to restart the season on May 28, the governing body still needs to come to an agreement with broadcasters over the structure of the modified competition, with negotiations continuing yesterday.
But faced with the prospect of relocating to Australia and potentially leaving their families for up to six months, George said the lack of action from the NRL was unsettling for his players.
‘‘I’m feeling for them. It is frustrating because there are a lot of big decisions to make and I’ve been trying my absolute best to get some clarity and answers for them to be informed,’’ George told Stuff. ‘‘But since Friday to now, Graham has just rang which is the first phone call I’ve received from the NRL.’’
Time is of the essence for the
Warriors, who may need to leave as early as Sunday if the competition restarts on the proposed date, so they can undertake a 14-day quarantine period followed by three weeks of training.
The players have already shown a willingness to make it work after deciding to remain in Australia last month before the competition was suspended due to the coronavirus.
But coach Stephen Kearney says there are number of questions that need to be clarified, such as whether their families will be able to join them, not to mention being granted special travel exemptions by the Australian and New Zealand governments, which is also being handled by the NRL.
‘‘We’re in a position where if they’re going to potentially leave family members at home, it’s not going to be easy to get straight back to them if something happens,’’ Kearney said.
‘‘For some of these players to sacrifice the next four or five months away from their families . . . what is that going to look like for us? Where are we going to be located? There’s just so many things that need to be answered for the players to make a truly informed decision.’’
While player welfare remains the club’s priority, there is also the huge logistical challenge of relocating to across the Tasman to consider, which the NRL’s silence has made it extremely difficult to plan for.
But Kearney said it wouldn’t take long for the group to act once they get some answers.
‘‘We are probably impacted the most by what’s going on and we haven’t had those issues clarified as yet,’’ the coach said. ‘‘So we’re waiting to hear that then we can get things moving pretty quickly.’’