‘Show us the money’
The Warriors are keen to head to Australia but want issues over their pay to be sorted first, insists the club’s chief executive.
Warriors chief executive Cameron George has leapt to the defence of his players, saying their pay issues have to be resolved before they fly to Australia to resume the NRL competition.
George came out swinging in Danny Weidler’s Sydney Morning Herald column yesterday, saying player remuneration and family concerns had to be satisfied.
‘‘It’s bulls... when people say it’s their job and if they want to get paid they need to just move over,’’ he said.
The Warriors are due to leave for Sydney on Sunday. George said that remained the club’s intention, but stressed: ‘‘We are dealing with human beings here.
‘‘Right now they don’t even know what they are going to be paid. And their families. I can’t emphasise to you how critical it is that the families of our players have clarity about what is going on for them: when they are coming over, how it’s going to happen and we need to know.
‘‘We are working on all of this with the NRL now. Yes, it’s an expense for the NRL to bring the families over, but it will be a greater expense if the Warriors are not there. Not that we want that outcome.
‘‘It’s more than flying the families over, it’s a process we need to get right and manage carefully and, to this point, I appreciate the NRL sharing the same commitment to achieving this with me.’’
George reinforced his comments in an interview with Nine’s Sunday Footy Show, where he said the Warriors were yet to confirm their preferred training base at a Lennox Head sports centre in northern New South Wales.
‘‘Our players are prepared to go to wherever they have to for the lockdown and prepare for the competition.
‘‘But we are yet to finalise that so there’s things to find out over the next seven days on whether or not we come to Australia. Sure as hell, we’re fighting to get there as best we can.’’
Hence, George said there was ‘‘still a lot of water to flow under the bridge’’ before the New Zealand club leaves Auckland.
He said he had ‘‘guaranteed the players no-one gets on the plane until we have information about the competition looks like’’.
George said the most important piece of information for Warriors players centred around ‘‘the risk versus reward. That comes back to the players’ remuneration.
‘‘So those discussions are going to clearly fall out of the back of any broadcast deals that are done in the days coming up.’’
The Warriors would need to be in full isolation for two weeks on arrival.
‘‘As of now we haven’t had any exemption applied to us so . . . we’re still waiting to hear back from the NRL and the federal government of Australia whether we can leave next week or not,’’ George said. ‘‘And whatever the call will be we’ll respect it.’’
George said Warriors’ players and staff were ‘‘collective in their position’’ around wanting to return to the NRL arena.
‘‘They stand as one and are all in agreement we need to go to Australia next week for an indefinite period, with families coming at a later date [once New ZealandAustralia border controls permit].’’