NZ Warriors coach Andrew Webster has revealed he won't hesitate to pull star Shaun Johnson during an NRL match, if the star halfback's wife goes into labour.
Johnson has been named to start against Cronulla Sharks, but could be a late scratch, with he and wife Kayla expecting the birth of their second child.
He risked missing the occasion to play in last week's win over Parramatta Eels at Sydney Parramatta, which earned the praises of his coach.
With Sunday's clash at Go Media Stadium Mt Smart, Johnson is almost guaranteed to feature, unless the birth occurs during the 80-minute contest.
Webster is pleased this week's logistics allow for some certainty, with family a top priority at the Warriors.
"The difference is, if he gets a call that she's gone into labour, it's a 10-minute drive down the road, as opposed to three-hour flight and plus planes don't run after 7:30pm, so we can always manage that.
"Once again, Shaun won't be missing the birth, that's for sure. If the baby is about to come and the game is on, then that's a no.
"He's got to be there and we respect that, but if it works out that he can achieve both this week, that would be cool.
"Pretty excited for them to both just have the baby, that'll be nice. We'll find out later."
Webster went as far as to reveal should baby Johnson arrive during a match, he would absolutely pull him off.
"Definitely," he said. "I don't know what I'd do, but if the baby was coming in the first 35 minutes, I'd get him off the field.
"If it was 50, I'd probably keep him there," joked Webster.
Join Newshub at 4pm Sunday for live updates of the Warriors v Sharks NRL clash
