Adam Keighran, Karl Lawton and Lachlan Burr are soaking up the sun in Auckland. Photo / Instagram
Adam Keighran, Karl Lawton and Lachlan Burr are soaking up the sun in Auckland. Photo / Instagram
Aussie Warriors' import, Karl Lawton has welcomed his new fellow team-mates from across the Tasman with a slice of New Zealand paradise.
The 23-year-old took 2nd rower Lachlan Burr, 26, and five-eighth Adam Keighran, 21, to Waiheke Island last weekend ahead of their debut for the team when the Marchseason kicks off.
Lawton has played for the Warriors over the past year, after arriving in our fair city with his girlfriend, social media star Rosie Van.
Karl Lawton and Rosie Van. Photo / Instagram
Burr, a former Canterbury Bulldog, has moved across the Ditch recently with girlfriend Madeline Reed and Keighran, a former Penrith Panther, has moved with girlfriend Taylee Wall.
Over the long weekend the six fit Ockers enjoyed paddle boarding in the sun at one of our best spots, having a blast in temperatures they're familiar with.
Keighran tells Spy he is really enjoying his time in Auckland. He and Wall are staying in Remuera and they love heading down to Mission Bay, to eat, swim and relax. Wall has already picked up a job in childcare.
"It is definitely not what I was expecting," Keighran says. "I thought being so far away from home would've made it quite tough, but from the first day we stepped foot over here, the whole organisation has made us feel welcome, which has made the transition much more comfortable for the two of us — the team culture is admirable.
Madeline Reed, Rosie Van and Taylee Wall. Photo / Instagram
"We are lucky to have a good friendship within the team so our partners can get together for a night or just a casual coffee, it makes it easier on Tay and me."
We are told all six are keen on checking out other parts of the country whenever they have the opportunity. This week the boys got their chance by going to a training camp in Rotorua, their exact activities were a closely guarded secret.
And while the Aussie players enjoy New Zealand, the one who left, new Cronulla Sharks' player Shaun Johnson, was joined again in Sydney by his fiancee, Silver Fern Kayla Cullen, at his new waterfront apartment in Cronulla.