NZ Warriors player Leivaha Pulu is returning to New Zealand immediately, after his pregnant wife was involved in a car crash.
The club has confirmed that Pulu's wife hasn't suffered any serious injury and is understood to be recovering well.
Pulu received the news on Wednesday night, and was understandably eager to return home as soon as possible.
The 30-year-old is yet to feature for the Warriors this season and was not named in the 21-man squad to play the Brisbane Broncos at Central Coast Stadium on Saturday.
Warriors chief executive Cam George tells Newshub that Pulu is willing to rejoin the squad in Australia if he's able to get an exemption from the Australian border authorities.
But the club is already looking for his replacement, and are in talks with other teams to try and add another loan player.
With his Warriors contract set to expire at the end of the season, Pulu may have played his last game for the Auckland-based side.
Pulu is understood to be part of a group of Warriors players - which alos includes Ken Maumalo, David Fusitu'a, and Agnatius Paasi - who were to return to New Zealand if there NRL were unable to convince the Federal Government to grant exemptions for their families to join them by July 19.
Paasi has four young children in Auckland along with his partner back in Auckland, while Maumalo is also a young father and Fusitu'a's partner is expecting the couples' first child.
Coach Todd Payten says he's already drawn up a list of targets for potential loan players should those players leave following the round 10 clash with the Cronulla Sharks.
The recent COVID-19 spike in Victoria has made the border situation more difficult, although Australia Rugby League Commission chiarman Peter V'Landys is still hopeful a trans-Tasman bubble will be established soon to ease the strain of the Warriors two-month stint away from home.
Join Newshub for live updates of the NZ Warriors v Brisbane Broncos from 7:30pm Saturday.
