NZ Warriors interim head coach Todd Payten says he's "open" to adding superstar Sonny Bill Williams to his squad, but has tempered expectations regarding how realistic the opportunity is.
On Tuesday, Williams became a free agent for the rest of the 2020 season, after financial difficulties forced his Toronto Wolfpack to hang up its boots until next year.
The two-time NRL premier's availability has begun a recruitment frenzy among clubs vying for his services, and the depleted Warriors are one such team to have made an approach.
While Payten says he'd welcome Williams on board, he's also conscious of the challenges involved in making that happen and how much impact he'd ultimately offer.
"I would take Sonny if he was going to add value to our group," says Payten. "No doubt. But there are a lot of things that factor into that, obviously."
According to Wolfpack chief executive Bob Hunter, the 34-year-old is still in Europe, where he's spending time with his family, and is yet to formally declare his interest in an NRL cameo.
Any club taking Williams on would need him to wait out the mandatory 14-day quarantine period in Australia, then allow him time to get his conditioning sorted.
"He's still overseas, still got to come back and quarantine. He's got to train for a couple of weeks, so essentially we'd probably only get four or five games out of him
"I'm open to it, but I don't know whether he's open to it or his management is open to it."
Payten confirms the club has approached Williams' management team but they're yet to hear a response.
Warriors chief executive Cameron George has a similar attitude to his coach in regards to the opportunity.
"The stars would have to be aligned, and I don't know if and when Sonny could even get to Australia," George told NRL.com. "But we'd be mad not to ask the question."
Of more immediate concern to Payten is lifting his side from what he dubbed its "worst performance of the season" in the 46-10 hammering by the Cronulla Sharks last weekend to get them ready to take on the defending champion Sydney Roosters.
He's made a raft of selection change as a result of the capitulation against the Sydneysiders, the most notable of which is the demotion of forward Adam Blair to the bench.
Since joining the club in 2018, the Kiwi forward has been much-maligned for play that hasn't lived up to his sizable contract. Payten says he's had some "honest" discussions with the 34-year-old and expects him to bounce back on Saturday.
"[Blair] has been around long enough. He had a rough week last week, but I'm not making excuses for him because I think, with his experience, he should've been able to handle it," Payten adds.
"I was clear with him in our review. I showed him some clips one-on-one, so he knows where he stands and what he has to do and I'm sure he'll get the job done.
"There's a lot of value that Adam gives our organisation. He's a real professional, so the value he gives off the field is first class. His performance last weekend wasn't up to standard, and he knows that."
On the flipside of that coin, Payten is "excited" to see what Blair's replacement - impact extraordinaire Jazz Tevaga - can offer in a rare start with the run-on side.
"He's a tenacious competitor. He's tough and resilient and he can push through when things are tough, from a fitness point of view and a mentality point of view."
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