Warriors optimistic over return to NZ

Senior Warriors players are cautiously optimistic about the prospect of returning home, after the Government announcement regarding the transtasman bubble yesterday.

Quarantine-free travel between New Zealand and Australia will be possible from April 19, which invokes the possibility of NRL games at Mt Smart this season.

The Warriors haven’t played in Penrose since August 2019, when they faced the Rabbitohs in the penultimate game of that season.

“That would be great news and great news for the club,” said Warriors vice-captain Tohu Harris of a possible end to their enforced absence. “And for our fans as well. Obviously, there’s a lot of things to go into it and we have to make sure it’s safe for us to go back, without putting the competition in jeopardy. There’s a lot of things we need to consider.”

The Warriors are scheduled to remain on the New South Wales Central Coast for 11 more rounds. Their game against the Knights on June 19 is slated to be their last from the Australian base, ahead of a break for the representative round.

When the competition resumes, the round 16 clash with the Dragons (July 2) could be their potential homecoming, with the Warriors scheduled to travel back on June 21

But that is dependant on Covid-19, as any hint of another border shutdown or local lockdown could have a chaotic effect on the competition and travel, which means the players can’t think too far ahead.

“It doesn’t really change for us,” said Harris. “We know the position we’re in, and if we get to go home, then that’s a bonus and a huge positive.

“It’s a bit harder the other way around if we were at home and then there was a day where we might have to go away for the first time, that’s a different situation. But we’re pretty happy where we are.

“We’ve got a lot of time to get our heads around it [with] the dates that have been proposed to us, so let’s just wait and see, and we’ll deal with it as it comes.”

Fellow forward Jazz Tevaga, who is one of the few Warriors players without his family in Australia, has a philosophical approach.

“I haven’t heard too much about the bubble,” said Tevaga. “I know we’re locked in here until June. So I’m just going to focus on that.

“If the bubble opens up and my family want to come over and visit, happy days. But if not, I’ll just continue what I’m doing.”

The team was disappointed with their “passive” display in Sunday’s 32-12 loss to the Roosters, a clear step back after their heroics in Canberra the week before.

“There was a lot of telling things in our review that showed that we didn’t put ourselves in a position to compete with a [top four] side like that,” said Harris.

“Defensively, we were passive, and they were a lot more aggressive than us.

“That showed as the game wore on, it was harder for us to build momentum. They won a lot of the play-the-balls through that aggression and that line speed [and] we just didn’t do that when we had the ball.”

The Warriors are still assessing the extent of Addin Fonua-Blake’s knee injury but the marquee prop is likely to be sidelined for several weeks.

“[At the time], we knew it was from a knee clash but we didn’t know whether it was just a contusion or a cork,” said Harris.

“Obviously it’s a bit more serious than a cork, so hopefully we do get a good result out of that.”

Fellow front rower Bunty Afoa could also be missing from Friday’s clash with Manly, facing a possible two-week ban for a shoulder charge.