Covid 19 coronavirus: Warriors paid half-a-million dollars under wage subsidy scheme

The Warriors have received nearly a half-million dollars under the wage subsidy scheme in wake of the NRL season's suspension.

The Auckland-based club were paid $485,524.80 yesterday for 90 employees, according to Work and Income's wage subsidy employers search.

The money will likely help secure the jobs of players, management and other staff until the league resumes.

In the first week of New Zealand's level-4 lockdown, Warriors players had dug into their own pockets to help out the embattled club.

CEO Cameron George said at the time he was stunned when Blake Green called him with the initiative, after the halfback had consulted with the other members of the leadership group of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Adam Blair and Tohu Harris.

Warriors CEO Cameron George. Photo / Getty

They had then reached out to the rest of the squad.

"They have a fund each month and they wanted to donate it to the club, to try and retain as much normality as possible," George told the Herald. "It's wonderful, an amazing gesture."

"The players donate whatever they do through their own mechanism into a players' fund, for their own activities, every month. And they want to offer that to the club, and it's for helping the staff out."

Meanwhile, the NRL has reportedly contacted the Government in a desperate attempt to get the Warriors to Australia for the highly anticipated return of the season.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the NRL is "hellbent" on getting the Warriors an exemption from travel restrictions so the club can be included for the competition's targeted return of May 28.

Stephen Kearney during a Warriors training session. Photo / Photosport

NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg said it was "working hard" with the Australian and New Zealand governments but admits the league would have to go on without the Kiwi side if exemptions aren't granted.

"We could play without them, but we don't want to," Greenberg told the Sydney Morning Herald.

"We want to play a competition with all 16 clubs. We'll be working hard on the Warriors' behalf with government on both sides of the Tasman to make sure they can play a part in 2020.

"We'll be doing everything possible to ensure the season is played in its full capacity with all teams, and that includes the Warriors. That's for two reasons. One, we want the competition to be pure. But two, to genuinely reflect the sacrifices they made earlier in the year."

The NRL reportedly has 15 days to produce its plans for housing the league amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the NRL's immediate future set to be decided at a meeting on April 21.

NeedToKnow3

• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website