Warriors CEO Cameron George speaks to the media during a New Zealand Warriors NRL press conference at Mount Smart Stadium. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Warriors CEO Cameron George speaks to the media during a New Zealand Warriors NRL press conference at Mount Smart Stadium. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
The Warriors extraordinary efforts to stay afloat and in this year's NRL competition included all staff, including CEO Cameron George and coach Steve Kearney, going on the same wages for at least three months.
That campaign will lift off to another level today when a charter plane leaves Auckland forTamworth in North-West New South Wales, carrying 31 players and 18 staff who will prepare in unprecedented circumstances for the intended May 28 kickoff.
The Warriors - who lost their opening two matches - don't know who they will be playing first up, as the NRL leads the pack in getting back on the field. But they will be there, having finally won approval to be based in Australia.
COVID-19 brought the NRL to a halt after two rounds, and it thrust the Warriors centre-stage because the New Zealand club needed all sorts of exemptions to get back into Australia.
The Warriors will take a full strength squad across the ditch, but even today's lift off was a problem, because the initial charter plane was too big for the Tamworth runway and had to be swapped.
Their initial quarantine period of two weeks will see them train in conditions few top sports people will ever experience.
The rules are tight, including a fence and security guards around their compound, the $2m Scully Park, the adjoining west Leagues club and the Mercure Hotel. The Warriors must stay in, isolated, the public must stay out.
George told NZME that he, Kearney and operations manager Dan Floyd were "read the riot act" by Tamworth's two top cops and medical officer in an online meeting over the weekend. The Warriors are expected to get a police escort on arrival.
They could act as a blueprint for the opening of other sports, and the club realises its responsibility in that area.
NZ Warriors - Warriors training session held at Mt Smart Stadium, No.3 Ground, Auckland, New Zealand. 21 January 2020 Photo: Brett Phibbs / www.photosport.nz
Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson, mayor Col Murray, Wests Leagues boss Rod Laing and a local businessman Craig Power have all been involved in smoothing the path and offering a welcome mat.
Wests staff have turned their events centre into a gym, made a basketball court out of the car park, and remodelled the kitchen to cope.
The NRL's detailed biosecurity rules will log and monitor staff entry points, times and temperatures, NRL.com reported. Health services have inspected the facility. The Warriors will have wellbeing officers on hand.
They will then move to another base nearer Sydney - perhaps on the Central Coast - after the quarantine period.
The implementation of a New Zealand/Australia bubble would allow the Warriors to return home of course, but the club is having to plan on the basis they will be there for the long haul. Families will be able to come over, and George - who remains in Auckland - is starting work on that project tomorrow.
The ability to replace players who must return home for injury or other reasons will be judged on a case-by-case basis.
George has been vocal in declaring this could be a watershed moment for the underperforming club, which has made just two losing grand finals in 25 years.
Bonds at the club appear to have been strengthened - the players offered to contribute cash so staff would not lose their jobs during the lockdown.
Eliesa Katoa and the NZ Vodafone Warriors after they lost their match against the Canberra Raiders in the NRL. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
George said that money will be returned to players. The decision to put everyone - bar the players - on the same pay had meant all permanent staff had kept their jobs.
Media coverage suggests that the Warriors have won some new respect in Australia for the way they have handled the crisis.
Insiders expect the NRL to manipulate the draw to put initial glamour clashes in prime time. The Warriors will be aiming to put their CEO's words into action.
It remains to be seen if the stirring rescue mission will translate to success on the field. If they can, a new audience - deprived of other top sport to watch - could jump aboard.
