The NRL are prepared to play the rest of their season without the New Zealand Warriors.
The team has remained in Australia to play Saturday's round two fixture against the Canberra Raiders to avoid entering New Zealand's mandated 14-day isolation period. That game has been relocated from Eden Park to the Gold Coast Titans' home stadium.
After this weekend's game, CEO Cameron George said the players and staff would make a decision whether to stay on and continue playing their matches across the Tasman, or return to New Zealand, which would effectively end their season.
On Monday, NRL CEO Todd Greenberg confirmed that the competition would be able to go ahead without the Auckland-based team.
"It's very possible to continue the competition if the Warriors want to go home," said Greenberg.
"Of course we want all 16 clubs playing in the competition, but that's a step that is a scenario and we'll only get to that after this weekend."
ARL Commission chairman Peter V'landys reiterated those sentiments with Australia's The Daily Telegraph on Sunday.
"We'll have more talks with the Warriors during the week," V'landys told The Daily Telegraph.
"They've been great. If they did insist on going home we'd look at contingency plans and that could be to continue playing. Nothing is certain but we'd have to consider it."
George insists they'll put the concerns of their players and staff and their families at the forefront of any decision.
"We'll make some big decisions at the end of the week, and it will be based on family and player outcomes," George said on Sunday.
"There was a lot of devastated players there yesterday, grown men with tears in their eyes because it is really a difficult period to endure when you don't know what the outcome is going to be.
"It's a reality [not being able to play in the competition]. It's on the table, we get through this weekend and we've got to make a decision with the players."
There's been no pressure from the NRL to stay and play the rest of their season in Australia, said George.
New and expectant fathers Peta Hiku and Patrick Herbert have already returned to their families and border restrictions mean the team is unable to fly any replacement players in.
If the Warriors were to withdraw from the competition, all sides would be awarded a bye when scheduled to play them.
George has already admitted he can't foresee any home games being played at Mt Smart this season.
"I truly believe that unfortunately - to be very transparent - that I don't think there will be [any homes games] at this point in time," said George, having just landed back in Auckland.
"That's just my assumption. I haven't heard that from anywhere but there's just that much unknown happening there at the moment.
"It's only going to take one player to get the symptoms then that will lock down a team, and therefore the competition's in disarray."
