The Warriors will not be swayed by the government's latest border announcement saying an early return to Mount Smart Stadium would be a "backflip" the club is not prepared to make under the current conditions.
Chanel Harris-Tavita of the Warriors is tackled by Ben Hunt of the Dragons Photo: AAP IMAGE
New Zealand's borders will be open to vaccinated Australians from 11.59 pm on 12 April, but the Warriors remained steadfast that the first home game in Auckland for the NRL side remained 3 July against the Wests Tigers.
The Warriors opened their NRL season on 12 March on the Sunshine Coast and will stick to their plan to play home games at their home away from home, Redcliffe, until the latter stages of the season.
Warriors chief executive Cameron George said after months and years of disruption the club had made a commitment to players, families and the NRL to be in Australia until July.
"It was always our plan and our hope that the back end of the year things would change and we could take games back to New Zealand and that's clearly what we're going to do if everything keeps going the way it is," George said.
"We can't now turnaround and backflip just because the government start moving the goal posts every second month or every second week at this stage. We have broadcasting commitments, stadium commitments that we've locked in... and there's no use in trying to guess what the government's going to do, that's been a failing of everyone for the last three years."
Warriors lock Jazz Tevaga agreed with the George's sentiment and said the players looked forward to a July return but they paid little attention to the government border announcements these days - after so many previous disappointments.
Jazz Tevaga has "given up" listening to border updates. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
"We've sort of given up listening to it [border announcements], the past year or two we've always been waiting for news to change, waiting for the rules to change and it doesn't do you any good," Tevaga said.
"We just kind of ignore it and if the rules change and we get to come home that's good but we're just focussed on our season ... if it was set in stone for us coming home it would boost our morale but we know how fast things can change so we try not to get our hopes up."
The crowd limits under the Covid framework, with limits of pods of 100 supporters at the current red light setting, meant bringing games back to Auckland under those conditions made no sense, George said.
"It'd be no use going home and playing in front of no one. That just makes zero sense because economically it makes no sense but the most important thing is the reason we want to go home is that we can have everyone hanging off the rafters and having a party at Mount Smart Stadium and if we can't have a crowd more than 100 people it would be foolish management to take a game back there," George said.
Other teams playing in trans-Tasman competitions would not be rushing back to New Zealand.
The Wellington Phoenix said the latest border announcement brought the team "another step closer" to hosting games in New Zealand before the end of the season - but there was still a few hurdles.
Wellington Phoenix visa player Gael Sandoval. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The club said it would require exemptions to bring their visa players -Englishmen David Ball, Scott Wootton and Gary Hooper and Mexican Gael Sandoval - into the country. As well as international players in opposition sides.
Fully vaccinated travellers from visa-waiver countries will be able to enter New Zealand from 11.59pm on 1 May - which is the last round of regular A-League competition.
The Phoenix, like the Warriors, said they would also want the Covid protection framework settings to change so they could host games with crowds.
Whereas, the New Zealand Breakers have committed to seeing out the remainder of the National Basketball League season based in Australia.
The Breakers have been on the road since November and won't make the playoffs, so would only have limited games left once 12 April rolls around.