Warriors five-eighth Blake Green joins Courtney Tairi, Lewis Brown and Blake Ayshford to talk about his long career up north and down under. Plus who in the Warriors is the worst lockdown buddy and how will they handle the Aussie slang they’ll need to survive across the ditch. Video / Sky Sport
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has denied reports that the Warriors have been given permission to fly into Australia for the resumption of the NRL season.
Earlier, several Australian media outlets reported that the Australian national cabinet gave the green light for Tamworth - a city in the northeast ofNew South Wales - to open its airport so the Warriors can fly from New Zealand to take part in the NRL season.
However, Morrison confirmed that no decision has been made about the NRL's application for the Warriors to quarantine in Tamworth.
The application is still being processed by the Australian Border Force, he said.
"The National Cabinet has not provided that endorsement," Morrison said.
"The individual jurisdictions will ultimately provide any of the clearances that are necessary on a health basis ... in relation to the border issues with NZ, well that authority has not been provided.
"That authority has not been provided and no amount of reporting it will change those restrictions."
The Warriors plan to leave for Australia on a charter flight on Sunday and will need to quarantine for 14 days after arriving in Australia, per the strict isolation measures in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
However, NRL players are yet to confirm they will return to training on Monday, which was part of the agreed timeline for a season restart on May 28.
Yesterday it was revealed several senior Warriors players spoke up about not flying to Australia until they had assurances from the NRL about wages and other specifics pertaining to their travel.
The Warriors still hope to leave for Australia this Sunday, despite needing some final answers to key questions.
As reported by the Herald on Wednesday, one of the main issues was the players' remuneration, as the club wasn't prepared to relocate the squad for potentially five months, without knowing what their full employment conditions would be.
The Warriors' squad has since been provided with a baseline figure, along with the rest of the teams in the competition.
Warriors Adam Blair and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck celebrate. Photo / Photosport
However negotiations are ongoing, between the Rugby League Players Association and the NRL, after the Sydney Morning Herald reported on Thursday that the players might have to take a 50 per cent pay cut for the final five months of the season (June to October) due to the expected drop in broadcast revenue.
The Warriors are also waiting on their approval to be able to train while in the 14-day quarantine period after they arrive in Australia, while it's believed the RLPA has also mooted that players from clubs that need to relocate (the Warriors, as well as potentially the three Queensland teams and the Melbourne Storm) should be given five days notice, which would mean a departure in the middle of next week. That detail has yet to be confirmed.
Everything will hinge on the ongoing negotiations between the RLPA and the NRL over salary levels.
However, Warriors chief executive Cameron George is remaining optimistic. He said the club had sent gear to Australia on Thursday, and were still working towards a weekend departure.
"There are a lot of things to work out but hopefully we'll get there," said George.
"Everyone is working really hard behind the scenes and we have to be positive. We are waiting on a few more answers and hopefully they will come soon, but it's hard to predict."
The NRL announced on Tuesday they would run a 20-round competition in 2020, with an 18-week season to commence on May 28, after the earlier suspension following round two in mid-March due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
