Warriors: We need a loan
NRL franchise seeking access to players from Australian feeder clubs
The Warriors will be seeking to loan players from other clubs around Australia to mitigate the impact of being marooned across the Tasman indefinitely. Warriors chief executive Cameron George said the club had already spoken with multiple NRL teams, and will also be contacting clubs from the second-tier New South Wales and Queensland Cup competitions to assess possibilities within their rosters.
The concept of loan players is well established in football, used either as a development tool or as a way to defray some of the wages of a player who isn’t getting match time at their parent club. It’s much less common in league, due to the different shape of the market and the higher injury probabilities, but George said the Warriors were left with little choice to maintain numbers in their squad, given the 14 day selfisolation rules in place for arriving travellers in New Zealand and Australia.
“It’s our only option,” said George. “If we send players over [from New Zealand] after the game on Saturday, it’s another two weeks, that’s two more games. If we get injuries this week, that’s another problem.
“We are talking to a couple of clubs on some players that might be available under the circumstances. It’s a real possibility, given the restriction of travel and that we can’t get people in there. [We are] just working out who and where from?”
However, George admitted the finer details, including duration, salary payments and injury cover, were complex.
He added that while other NRL teams were sensitive to the Warriors’ predicament, ultimately they were still rivals and any potential loan players wouldn’t be from first grade.
“Everyone is, in some way shape or form, sympathetic, but they don’t want to give us a competitive edge either,” said George. “Everyone is trying to help in some way, although they are not going to give us a leg up.”
But George added that if the status quo continues, the Warriors are going to need reinforcements, as a matter of equity.
Ahead of their relocated match against the Raiders on the Gold Coast on Saturday, they have 19 members of their top 30 in Australia, after Peta Hiku and Patrick Herbert returned home on Sunday for family reasons. They also have five players from their development squad, and have been given special permission to pick those players in their match-day 21, if necessary, but those young players would not be weekto-week propositions.
“We need the ability to pick 30 players, like every other club,” said George. “We can’t be over there in these difficult circumstances and be disadvantaged by the depth and experience of our squad.
“We are significantly on the back foot. Look at us compared to any other club in the NRL right now. They have got 30 players to choose from, we have got 19, with special permission, 24. That’s a huge disadvantage.”
The Warriors are sending over extra clothes and other personal items to the team today after it was dropped off by wives, partners and family members to their Mt Smart headquarters yesterday.
Like the other 15 clubs, the Warriors are waiting to hear what happens beyond round two. The NRL are determined to explore every option to keep the competition going — given the drastic financial implications of postponement or cancellation — and may look at basing the teams at one or two hubs in Australia.
“The biggest challenge is not knowing what happens beyond this weekend,” said George. “It’s just about this week — take a deep breath and get through this week.”