Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has added his name to the chorus of those calling for NZ Warriors to be rewarded for their sacrifice, after spending the last three years based in Australia.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic stopping trans-Tasman travel, the Warriors made the call to relocate to Australia indefinitely in 2020, in order to ensure they could still compete in the NRL.
That decision has seen the Warriors forced to live in Australia permanently for the better part of the last three years, with 2022 being the third season in succession of being based away from home.
Instead of playing home games at Mt Smart Stadium, the Warriors have adopted the likes of Tamworth, the Central Coast's Gosford and now Redcliffe as their base of operations.
But earlier this month, the Warriors finally made their long awaited homecoming, as they ran out on Mt Smart Stadium for the first time since 2019 to defeat Wests Tigers 22-2.
And after a bye week and losses to Parramatta Eels and Canberra Raiders, the Warriors will play just their second home game of the last three seasons on Friday, when they host the Storm.
As thanks for their relocation, calls for the Warriors to be rewarded by the NRL and the other 15 - soon to be 16 - teams.
NRL guru Phil Gould has been a vocal supporter of the Warriors playing all of next season at home as thanks, while Storm coach Bellamy raised another proposition.
"I don't know what - but we could give them four, five or six competition points to start with," Bellamy said. "They'd probably deserve it.
"They've been away for three years. There are some players who haven't set foot in New Zealand except for the last game against Wests.
"What they've done for the game has been unbelievable, to go over to Australia and live in Redcliffe. Some without their families, some with their families for some time.
"They've done a great job [and] basically kept the competition alive. They've made a lot of sacrifices, a lot more than any other team in the competition.
"We all should tip our hats to the Warriors, congratulate them, and be really grateful for what they've done for our game."
Meanwhile, Bellamy is also supportive of relocating one of his side's home matches to Auckland, albeit while considering those decisions are made higher than him.
"That's probably out of my hands," he added. "But I suppose we can show our gratitude and show our support for what the Warriors have done.
"We'd certainly consider that, I'd imagine. But it's [people] higher up the ladder that make those sort of decisions, where we play our games, move games or whatever.
"What they've done has been unbelievable the last three years, and there's still a little bit to go.
"I'm not quite sure how you reward them, or show how grateful the game's been. But they certainly deserve some sort of recognition for what they've done."
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