Warriors in dark over NRL plans

The Warriors have been left waiting for answers from the NRL over how their part in the revamped season will work.

The New Zealand franchise wants to know if it will be a part of the reformatted 2020 NRL season and how that will be possible, but the game’s bosses have yet to respond to questions from Warriors chief executive Cameron George.

After meeting with senior players on Friday, George emailed league headquarters with a host of concerns from the playing group.

Among them included the new structure of the competition, where the players will be based, and whether families will be allowed to join them.

But as of last evening, George had yet to receive a reply bar an acknowledgement his email had been received.

‘‘No – I haven’t had any Stuff. ‘‘Obviously they’re working through it at their end with a number of points.’’

However, there was a sense of frustration for George, with the revamped competition tagged to kick off on May 28. ‘‘I did mark it urgent, so . . . Until we hear, we can’t make any firm decisions.’’

The NRL is planning to restart the season on May 28 – which would likely mean the Warriors would need to fly out next Sunday so they could undertake a 14-day quarantine period – but needs to come to an agreement with its broadcast partners.

A NSW Government letter to the NRL shows that the sport has been told the game can resume provided it meets a number of safe workplace requirements.

The letter, dated April 8 and signed off by NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller to ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys, was in response to a question of whether game could restart without crowds.

The document says players can travel to and from games and training for work. It also states other directions must be complied with, including not having more than 500 people in stadiums and the venues being big enough to ensure safety for all workers.

But the letter pertains only to NSW-based teams as they fall within the government’s jurisdiction.

The Warriors would need government support from both sides of the Tasman to play in the competition. They remain in lockdown in New Zealand due to the coronavirus pandemic – however, they are confident of gaining an exemption to fly to Australia.

Government restrictions mean the Warriors players would then have to enter a 14-day isolation period at their unidentified base.

George said how the players feel about the demands on their families will play a major part in how their season may pan out.

‘‘My assurance to our players is their families and players will always come first.

‘‘I said to them, ‘Before we go much further, let’s get everything we need to know in order for us to be well-equipped to make an educated decision’.’’