Rugby league: Warriors escape NRL protocols using rescue dogs

Isaiah Pup-ali'i. Photo / Instagram/ccanimalcarefacility

The Warriors have made some new best friends while under the NRL's strict biosecurity protocols in Australia.

When the Warriors moved to the Central Coast last month ahead of the restart of the NRL season, players weren't allowed to leave their accommodation – even for walks – but exceptions were made if they had a pet.

To enable players to escape the confines of their homes under the NRL's biosecurity measures to combat the pandemic, Warriors football operations manager Daniel Floyd came up with an idea to bring in dogs from the Central Coast Animal Care Facility so the players could go for walks outside – and make some new furry friends.

"There was a clause that said you could go for a walk if you had a dog so we thought we would ring up the local pound and see if they would send us some dogs," Floyd told NRL.com.

"The players would be allowed to go for a walk and their dogs could get out for a walk too."

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The NRL has since relaxed those protocols but several Warriors players – including Kodi Nikorima, Jazz Tevaga, Josh Curran, Karl Lawton, Wayde Egan, Isaiah Papali'i, Agnatius Paasi, King Vuniyayawa and Leivaha Pulu – were keen to continue with the dog arrangement.

"We had a great walk and some of the guys chose dogs that had some meaning to them," CCACF director Dee Walton told NRL.com.

"One chose our English Staffy because he has an English Staffy at home, another chose Coco because Coco is a nickname of someone special to them, one chose our Rottweiler, Xena, because he has a Rottweiler and one chose our greyhound because he had greyhounds in the past."

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Warriors coach Stephen Kearney, recruitment manager Peter O'Sullivan and Floyd also took part.

The pound hopes to generate publicity using the Warriors players to find a home for some of the dogs.

"Everyone was comfortable with the dogs and the pound were over the moon," Floyd said.

"They are going to put it on their Instagram to try and create some publicity to help find some of the dogs a home."