The NZ Warriors are already planning for the potential departure of four of their key players, who are still awaiting exemptions from the Australian Government for their families to join them across the Tasman.
Coach Todd Payten has confirmed the club had issued an ultimatum to the NRL that if clearance isn't received in the next 20 days for the families of the four players involved - Ken Maumalo, David Fusitu’a, Agnatius Paasi, and Leivaha Pulu - that they'll be allowed to leave on July 19, the day after the Cronulla Sharks game.
Payten has put together a list of loan players to target should those squad members end up returning to New Zealand.
"I think it’s prudent that we’re prepared if it does happen," Payten says
"We're going to have to go to the NRL, go to the clubs and get them over the line. So, it would be idiotic to leave it until they go and then we're caught with our pants down.
"There's a list being looked at daily and if we haven’t heard anything within a week, we'll push down that path a bit further."
On Saturday, the team met with Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’Landys and NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo to discuss their options, but the recent spike in Melbourne has made the situation that much more difficult.
"He said that everything that's happening in Victoria isn't helping our situation," Payten notes.
"He has reapplied and is taking it higher up the food chain, so to speak. He also spoke of a possible bubble opening up between Queensland and New Zealand.
"I think our best chance is to get the exemption and get our families to self isolate together at a facility. That was the thing he pushed the most, but he has only got 20 days to go."
In on-field matters, the Warriors have re-jigged their backline, after captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck failed to defend his shoulder charge at the NRL judiciary on Tuesday night.
The captain was found guilty of a shoulder charge in last weekend's loss to the Storm, resulting in a one-match ban.
Peta Hiku will now move into fullback for Saturday's match against the Brisbane Broncos, while veteran outside back Gerard Beale slots into the centres.
Payten has already had Hiku running lines from the back this week and he's certainly no stranger to the position, having played the majority of his career at Manly as custodian.
"He's very capable and spent a lot of time at fullback," Payten says. "We trained that way yesterday in preparation."
David Fusitu'a and Karl Lawton - who are both recovering from head injuries - have taken full part in Wednesday's training, and Payten is confident they'll be cleared to take the field at Central Coast Stadium.
Payten pulled no punches in his scathing assessment of the team's effort in the 50-6 hammering by the Storm, and has continued that no-nonsense approach, putting certain players on notice.
"I've gone around to some individuals that I wasn't happy with and let them know what I thought and what's expected of them.
"I showed them some video, said this was not good enough and I need you to do this. Moving forward, if you give me that effort again, we’ll go with someone else.
"If it happens again, we won’t be picking them, they know that."
Payten says the team has responded well to the criticisms and he's been encouraged by what he's seen at training this week.
"I think everyone's on the same page now in terms of effort and diving into our defensive efforts
"We'll see on Saturday night, but at the moment everyone's in a pretty good space."
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