Rugby league: Warriors' pair Josh Curran and Euan Aitken reveal details of their strange life in isolation

Slogging it out on a broken treadmill. Lifting weights in your lounge room. And doing four kilometre runs, from repeat laps of a 25 metre driveway.

That was the weird life in isolation for Warriors' pair Josh Curran and Euan Aitken, who returned to the team fold on Monday.

Curran and Aitken were confined to their living quarters for two weeks from June 27, after being passengers on a Virgin Australia flight with a cabin crew member who subsequently tested positive for Covid-19.

Both players returned negative tests, but had to be isolated, due to the NRL's close contact rules and missed the Warriors' last two games.

Life in quarantine is hard for anyone, but particularly tough on high performance athletes, trying to stay in shape.

Curran, whose two roommates had to find alternative accommodation, had a borrowed treadmill and some gym equipment, but it wasn't straightforward.

"It was a pretty old treadmill so when I first ran on the actual face of the treadmill fell off," explained Curran. "Every time I was running on it was actually pretty loud so pretty much my whole apartment complex could hear it."

Curran ran up to six kilometres daily , supplemented by weights and time on the stationary bike. Time passed relatively quickly – toiling away on his online business course – but the evening was the hardest part.

"Mainly at dinner time," said Curran. "Me and my roomies, we'll have dinner together so that was probably the most time I got lonely."

Life was easier for Aitken, living with his partner Kirsty, but it was a challenge to stay fit.
He didn't have any gym equipment, making do with monotonous laps of his 25 metre driveway.

"Because it was a hard surface, I had to be a bit smart with my joints so I was doing it day on, day off," said Aitken.

Like Curran, Aitken had online studies also passed the time with games of monopoly and chess.

The Warriors' relocation to the Gold Coast will be challenging for Aitken, as Kirsty won't be able to join him, due to her nursing job and their three pets.

"It's an unfortunate situation, what we have to do, but it's what we need to do for the game and for our careers," said Aitken. "And there's a lot of people worse off than us, so it's a bit of perspective around it."

"My partner's pretty disappointed that we have to be away from each other for eight weeks but it could be worse - it could be longer."

Curran could make an immediate return, named on the interchange bench for the clash with the Panthers on Sunday (6:00pm NZT), while Aitken is among the reserves.

Coach Nathan Brown has retained the same starting lineup from Sunday's 20-12 loss to Cronulla, with Tohu Harris and Chad Townsend listed on an extended bench.

Warriors v Penrith Panthers

6.00pm, Sunday, July 18
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
1 Reece Walsh
2 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
3 Rocco Berry
4 Marcelo Montoya
5 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (c)
6 Kodi Nikorima
7 Sean O'Sullivan
8 Addin Fonua-Blake
9 Wayd Egan
10 Matt Lodge
11 Eliesa Katoa
12 Bayley Sironen
13 Jazz Tevaga
interchange:
14 Josh Curran
15 Leeson Ah Mau
16 Bunty Afoa
17 Kane Evans
18 Adam Pompey
20 Euan Aitken
21 Chad Townsend
22 Tohu Harris