The NRL remains confident the Warriors will arrive in Australia in 10 days' time, and start training the next day in preparation for a late-May competition kickoff.
The Warriors, the only non-Australian club in the competition, are proving the major sticking point in plans to restart the competition on May28.
Peter V'landys, the ARL Commission chairman, appeared bullish despite the Warriors still waiting for Government permission out of Australia to enter the country.
V'landys told Channel 10: "One of the most important things is we want to be equitable to all teams and we should have the New Zealand Warriors here on the third (of May) to also start training on the fourth in a quarantine centre where they will be on their own and continue to train, which is the precedent which was set when they were here the last time.
"At this stage they will be based in Sydney and we are still seeking the support of Queensland and Victoria and as the infection rate continues to decrease I think by May 28 those things could change and if they don't change by then I don't think it's going to be long after that.
"So I think the players thinking they're going to be in Sydney for weeks, I don't think that will happen. I think the borders will open."
Australian league great Wayne Pearce, the man in charge of restarting the competition after the Covid-19 shutdown, has confirmed that May 28 remains the kickoff date while training resumes on May 4.
But the NRL's desire to have a level playing field, where the Warriors are not disadvantaged, has led to media speculation that the restart date could be put back two weeks.
The other NRL clubs have held back from training, in the interests of fairness, with the Warriors unable to train under New Zealand's lockdown rules.
Once in Australia, they have to undergo a 14-day isolation period, but it appears V'landys believes they could still train under that restriction. But whatever the Warriors situation, the other NRL clubs are almost certain to start full team training again on May 4.
The Warriors and Canberra during their last NRL match a month ago. Photo/Photosport
The Warriors will be based in Australia while travel restrictions remain. The shape of the re-jigged NRL season remains unclear but the results from the opening two rounds will remain. That leaves the Warriors, who lost to Newcastle and Canberra, in 15th place in the 16 team competition.
Pearce said there was tremendous unity in the game, and they had established a lot of clarity around the medical protocols.
"We felt like we owe it to not just the players and coaches but the thousands of staff members at various clubs and associated industries that are out on the unemployment lines too," he said.
The Melbourne Storm will also be based in New South Wales, but the three Queensland teams may be able to travel despite initial opposition from their state Government.
The Warriors ability to immediately train at their Lennox Head isolation base now appears critical.
Pearce said: "We are working with the government authorities to get them over here, get them through a quarantine period and have them ready with the other teams for the start of the competition.
"As of today, those (non-NSW) teams would have to come into camp in NSW. But the landscape is changing pretty quickly. The government authorities are very supportive of what we are looking to do."
