The New Zealand Rugby League, which has finally clinched the deal to buy the Auckland Warriors, will kick off a new era today by deciding on a major financial backer.
The NZRL is also investigating the possibility that the club's previous directors are liable for many of the Warriors' huge debts.
NZRL chairman Gerald Ryan said the deal was signed on Saturday after infighting within the Tainui tribe, the club's previous owner, had caused a two-week delay.
Mr Ryan refused to name the four parties eager to put financial muscle behind the club, but said the NZRL hoped to meet each of them today and would make its decision public this week.
The Yes Group is still interested in taking a stake, while entrepreneur Eric Watson and electronics mogul Sir Roger Bhatnagar have also been tipped as possible backers.
"We want anyone who will help the game," Mr Ryan said last night. "We've had enough of smart boys trying to make a dollar."
He said the NZRL hoped the backer would take on a stake of up to 95 per cent in the club.
NZRL leaders would also investigate the Warriors' spending over the past two years.
``We just want to see ... how an organisation with a $12 million turnover and extra income of almost $6 million could lose money.''
Rough tackles in Warriors' hardest game
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