"Plan B is ready to activate, any time we don't have confidence in going back to New Zealand. It will be in Redcliffe where we are based and familiar with.
"Obviously our desire and our want is to go to New Zealand but if the government don't permit that, we will just pull the lever and go with the other plan.
"I'm not going to muck around and sit and hope and pray. It's in the hands of the government."
The Warriors' first homecoming match is against the NRL premiership champions Penrith on June 18.
The other games here feature the Wests Tigers (July 3), Melbourne Storm (July 29), Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (August 12) and Gold Coast Titans (September 3).
The Warriors, who open their season against the St George-Illawarra Dragons on March 12 have explored the possibility of border exemptions, with the assistance of Sport New Zealand, but have been informed that none will be forthcoming.
After being based across the Tasman for the entire 2020 season, the club initially hoped to return home in mid-June last year. That plan was scuppered by a Covid outbreak which closed the transtasman bubble.
A one-off match, partly to honour departing skipper Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, was then scheduled for August 15 against the Bulldogs before being canned.
A return on June 18 this year would end a 1023-day drought between home fixtures, but the club will take a watch and wait approach.
"We have to be careful not to get too far into the year before we make any changes," said George. "Not just for us and our fans, but there is a whole raft of elements to the game day, not the least the opposing team."
George is in constant communication with the NRL, as things evolve on both sides of the Tasman.
"We will have to have complete confidence that we are not going to be stranded - and we can't have any form of quarantine," said George
"There's no timeline [for a change], it's just if you know that it's not going to work. It could be in March, it could be in May, but I won't be sitting there in June with fingers crossed, put it that way.
"The border is shut right now so unless there is a significant change in the government's thinking, plan B is ready to go, but we have our fingers crossed and are raring to go back to New Zealand."
Bringing games to Mt Smart in 2022 is crucial for financial and football reasons, as well as the ability to reconnect with fans, sponsors and local staff.
Warriors chairman Rob Croot told the Herald last year the club has lost "millions" since the start of the Covid pandemic in March 2020, partly due to the significant decrease in gameday revenues and associated marketing opportunities.
"We have done everything required, had the vaccinations, testing every day, the NRL protocols are very strict," said George
"Now it's out of our hands and we are not even thinking about [going home] at the moment. We are just training, looking forward to round one. There is no use getting excited about it yet because we have been hurt before.
"We have a plan to go there and hopefully we get closer to it happening but right now there's not much we can do."
