The NZ Warriors have confirmed the impending return of four players to New Zealand to be reunited with their families.
David Fusitu'a, Ken Maumalo, Agnatius Paasi and King Vuniyayawa have all been booked to fly home from Australia on July 27.
The players had originally committed to stay in Australia only until Sunday’s match against the Cronulla Sharks unless the NRL succeeded in its efforts to secure travel exemptions for their families to enter Australia.
Due to the unavailability of flights, they'll now remain with the team another week until after the encounter with the Sydney Roosters on July 25, from which point they'll take no further part in the team's ill-fated NRL campaign.
Warriors chief executive Cam George has stressed the team's wholehearted support in the players' decision to leave.
"We can't say enough about the sacrifice they have made being away from their families so long," George says.
"We fully understand the predicament they have been in and we’re so appreciative of what they have done in committing to the cause for as long as they have."
The club had been working with Australia Rugby League chairman Peter V'Landys to secure exemptions from the NSW border authorities for the families to join them in Australia.
But recent spikes in cases in Victoria, and more recently Sydney, had made the situation increasingly difficult to navigate.
"Ultimately, the decision lies with government agencies to approve the applications the NRL made on our behalf. There hasn't been any sign of a favourable result, which we accepted was always a possibility.
"We're hugely disappointed it hasn't worked out as we would have liked but it was out of our control."
Earlier this month, interim head coach Todd Payten confirmed he had put together a list of potential replacement players he'd target in planning for the loss of those players.
Fringe selection Leivaha Pulu returned to New Zealand two weeks ago, after his pregnant wife was involved in a car crash. She ecaped injury-free, and Pulu may still rejoin the team in Australia.
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