Emotional NZ Warriors interim coach Todd Payten says the past 24 hours have been challenging, as the team deals with the sacking of Stephen Kearney.
On Saturday, Warriors management told Kearney his time as head coach was up, and he struggled to hold back tears telling his staff and players later that day.
Kearney was appointed for the job in 2016 and has had mixed results since, finishing with a win rate of 41.8 percent.
Payten - previously Kearney's assistant - will take the reins for the remainder of the season, as the Warriors search for their 11th head coach in the club's 25-year history.
The 41-year-old has no head-coaching experience, but won NRL premierships as a player with Wests Tigers in 2005 and as an assistant coach at North Queensland Cowboys in 2015.
Payten was "surprised" and "shocked" to hear the news, and compared the team's mood to that of someone close to them dying.
"I feel for Steve," says Payten. "I know the playing group is rattled and still processing it.
"It has been a difficult and strange 24 hours. The players knew something was up, but didn't know the severity of it and when he told the group, there were some upset individuals.
"Steve was quite upset, as were many of us, so it was a tough few hours.
"I'm still trying to process everything. It's like we've just had a death in the family - it's a weird feeling."
The Warriors have faced more challenges this year than all their previous years combined, mainly due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced the team to relocate to Australia indefinitely.
Kearney's sacking has been met with anger and frustration in the wider public, with former Warrior Sione Faumuina calling it one of the worst decisions in NRL history.
Payten's first game in charge will be on Friday night, when the Warriors tackle Melbourne Storm at AAMI Park, and although that's just days away, he's given it no thought so far.
"We've been away from home for nine weeks, it has presented challenges and this one is a big one," Payten adds. "I haven't given too much thought about anything footy related at the moment.
"We're going to have to think about how we do things. We have a few injuries and issues from the weekend, so I'm going to get across that quickly.
"I assure the fans that we'll compete, scrap and fight for everything that's available. We have to regroup, connect during the week and go for it, not just this week, but moving forward.
"We have to be more consistent and compete tougher."
Payten is unsure what's next for Kearney, but expects him to spend time with his wife and kids, who have been based in Brisbane during his entire tenure at the club.
"Steve has been apart from his family for four years. What we have done for the last nine weeks, he did it the whole time.
"His wife got here on Friday night and I expect he'll be diving into his family for a little period."
Payten will talk to the playing group properly on Sunday afternoon and begin the newest chapter in the Warriors' history.
Join us at 8pm Friday for live updates of the NZ Warriors v Melbourne Storm NRL clash
