The Warriors have announced the squad will remain based in Australia for the rest of the season after plans to return home to New Zealand in June were scrapped.
The installment of a Trans-Tasman bubble opened the door for the club to return to New Zealand next month, to play the last of their five home games of the season in front of home fans.
The Warriors have been based on New South Wales’ Central Coast since May last year, when the NRL was preparing to re-launch its 2020 competition after a two-month shut down amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
The round 16 clash at Mt. Smart Stadium on July 2nd had initially been penciled in as their first home game in over 12 months.
However, Warriors CEO reluctantly announced on Friday the club had made the decision to abort plans to return home in June, which have since proven to be unrealistic.
“That was the goal but it’s clear there’s still too much uncertainty and risk involved with the Covid-19 situation,” George said in a statement.
“We saw a pause in the bubble just two weeks ago after a case in Sydney and that really served as another reminder of how unstable things are.
“While we’ve wanted to come home our priority has been to ensure we have stability for our players and families while also doing what’s best for the competition.
“We’ve been in constant discussions with the NRL keeping abreast of developments and we’ve mutually agreed it’s in our best interests to remain in Australia.
“However, we will continue to explore options to play in front of our fans at home if international border volatility settles later in the season.”
The Warriors will host the Wests Tigers at Central Coast Stadium this Friday night.
