NZ Warriors are unlikely to play at home soon, even with a trans-Tasman bubble in place.
The team had hoped to return to Mt Smart Stadium for their round-five clash with Manly in April, but unless borders are certain to remain open, that now appears out of the question.
The club says, even if a bubble does open, the team won't be able to come home straight away.
Under COVID-19 restrictions, the Australian Government has opened the border for Kiwis to enter freely, only to close it again and impose quarantine, whenever a community outbreak occurs in New Zealand.
Overseas visitors to New Zealand are still required to serve 14-day quarantine upon arrival, before joining the general population under whatever alert level is in force.
Under those circumstances, the Warriors' early return is in jeopardy and they are now in discussions over extending the team's stay in Australia.
Chief executive Cameron George has told Newshub travelling back and forth is too risky for the competition under current conditions.
"We need to make the call sooner rather than later, so we’ll probably look at that early next week," he says.
"At this stage, it doesn’t appear we’ll be going home. The borders are just too restrictive in that nature, so on that basis, it’s just heads down and do the best we can for our fans.
"As it stands now, the borders are shut. For us to be back home, we need confidence that the borders will be open and stay open."
Newshub understands George and head coach Nathan Brown will discuss the situation with the team and their families this weekend, with an announcement expected in the coming days.
Join us for live updates of the Warriors' 2021 NRL campaign, starting March 13 v Gold Coast
