Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has opened up on the heartbreak of being away from his young Auckland-based family as he leads the Warriors through the NRL season in Australia.
Already having spent four months away from home, the Warriors captain is set to reach 150 days across the ditch at the endof the regular season.
Just last week, Tuivasa-Sheck's youngest son started crawling for the first time.
"Oh man, I think about going home all the time, especially when I'm watching a milestone like that on my phone," Tuivasa-Sheck told NRL.com.
"Just [the idea of] being with my kids and being with my partner.
"I'm pretty lucky. My partner, she's a tough girl. She's got her parents and my siblings back home helping out. If she wasn't then it'd be a different story.
"But I'm just glad she's got her support there and I've got mine here with my teammates."
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has opened up on being away from home. Photo / Photosport
Tuivasa-Sheck isn't alone, however, with Warriors assistant coaches Stacey Jones and Tony Iro carrying the same burden along with football manager Dan Floyd, gear steward Laurie Hale, head of performance Craig Twentyman, physio Jed Smethurst and half a dozen other members of the Warriors staff.
Interim head coach Todd Payten's wife and kids have arrived in Australia but are still in quarantine ahead of their entry into the Warriors' Covid-19 bubble.
It's just one of many narratives in what's been one of the club's toughest seasons to date.
The mid-season call to sack former head coach Stephen Kearney left players shocked while conceding 90 points in losses to South Sydney and Melbourne either side of his departure didn't help.
"There comes a time when you're bleeding, bruised and battered," CEO Cameron George said. "You've got sleepless nights and you're full of stress, and at that point, you decide what you stand for.
"There was a point in time where everyone accepted that the rest of this season was what it was, we weren't going home. That acceptance took away the uncertainty. And when you're thinking about that uncertainty, it's hard to fully commit yourself to whatever you're doing."
George added strong bonds have been formed within the team - ones which were previously talked about but hadn't taken hold.
Tohu Harris and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. Photo / Photosport
Tuivasa-Sheck said the shift has been what's kept him committed to staying in Australia.
"We're finding that we're all in this together, and it's something no club has really done before," he said.
"We're all in the bubble together. So you either get sick of each other or you work out your issues. That's what we're doing.
"A lot of us don't have family here. And yeah you do get sick of each other, all the time. But that's how families work and that's how you get through it.
