Warriors eye hit-and-run games

The Warriors could commute to Auckland over the second half of the NRL season to play games, while continuing to train in Australia.

The club and the NRL are looking at several options on how things could work, although no decisions have been made.

The Warriors are committed to remaining at their Terrigal base until the game against the Knights on June 19, even though the twoway trans-Tasman bubble will go up on April 19.

But the club has been hopeful its July 2 game against the Dragons can take place at Mt Smart Stadium.

However, there is the risk that if a coronavirus outbreak occurs in Australia or New Zealand, while the Warriors and another team are in Auckland, it could mean players can’t get back to Australia or would have to isolate for two weeks, which would cause havoc to the NRL draw.

There is also the risk that Warriors players move back to New Zealand and after an outbreak that they’re forced to remain in Australia and are again separated from families.

So one model that’s being looked at is for the team to spend the week training on the Central Coast, staying with their families, then fly over in time to play a game at Mt Smart Stadium and head back over afterwards.

While there are still risks with this option, they are reduced from being fully based in New Zealand.

The Warriors have five games in Auckland scheduled from July, against the Dragons, Panthers, Sharks, Bulldogs and Raiders.

It could be that the Warriors still play some of their home games at Central Coast Stadium from July onwards and it will be a case of seeing how things operate at the border once the bubble goes up.

If things work well, the Warriors could make the decision to come home permanently, but if there are a few pauses to trans-Tasman travel, the club and NRL could decide it’s prudent to play the season out in Australia.

While the players will remain in Australia, some of the staff will be heading back to New Zealand for a short break to spend time with their families once the travel restrictions are lifted.

The club is still pressing ahead with plans to have as many games in New Zealand next season and is continuing to have talks with stadiums and other NRL clubs about switching their home games to this side of the Tasman.

The Warriors want to take as many games around the country as possible in 2022 as a way to thank their fans, who haven’t been able to see them play live for so long. If the Warriors do play some games in New Zealand this season, it does dilute the message around this, but the club is still pressing forward to get more content in New Zealand in 2022.