The prospects of the Warriors playing at home are looking slimmer by the day with the players saying that they want to stay in Australia to see out the NRL season.
Warriors captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck says staying in Australia would be best for the team. Photo: Photosport
The Warriors have been based in Australia since January and the club has had to decide whether to return to New Zealand now that the trans-Tasman travel bubble is open or fly in and fly out of Auckland for home games.
There are five Warriors home games on the NRL schedule starting with a 2 July clash against the St George Illawarra Dragons.
Captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was liaising between his teammates and team management to assess the options in front of them and he said they needed to take into account that some new players have never lived in Auckland before.
"We all probably think it's best for us to stay on here and just finish because it doesn't seem that easy to just pack up and go home because unfortunately some of the boys don't have homes, they don't have cars there, they don't know how to get around," he said.
"There's a good set-up here, there's a good system here so may as well just finish off the year here and get ready for a life back in New Zealand in the new year."
Tuivasa-Sheck said finding bond and rent for those who needed would be stressful.
Tuivasa-Sheck backed fly in and fly out missions but also wanted to do what made the most sense for the club and the NRL overall.
"Of course all of the boys want to come home and want to be back with our fans.
"If we make the call that we are going to stay here in Australia, I'd still love to come back home and get a few games on, I think they'd go off, I think it's only fair we do something back home and I know the clubs all over the NRL would love to go back home and do something for the fans back at the Warriors."
Jack Murchie is one of the Warriors players who have never lived in Auckland. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Warriors coach Australian Nathan Brown is among those that haven't spent a season in Auckland or established a life in New Zealand after signing with the club in the off-season.
"I can certainly appreciate that going home certainly presents some hurdles at the moment, obviously whilst going home would certainly have some great benefits, especially for our Auckland-based players and their families and grandparents to be able to play at home, but then there's the thing that happened a week or so ago with the virus coming again and the borders all get shut so I would think for stability being here is probably the safest option for all involved."
Back-rower Jack Murchie is among the players that have signed in the last couple of seasons that has not played a home game at Mt Smart Stadium.
The 23-year-old from New South Wales has been to New Zealand before, when playing for other NRL clubs, but he has not lived in Auckland - although is hopeful that the club would assist the players who needed accommodation to get it.
"Maybe get some ideas from the boys that lived there before about what the best suburbs are to live in.
"I'm sure I'll get plenty of help organising that if I need to."
Murchie has spent his whole Warriors career in limbo and he hoped that a decision on the arrangements for the rest of the season came quickly.
"Just knowing where we're going to be and what we're doing would be good but the situation is constantly changing with all this Covid stuff, not just for us for other teams as well, so just got to do the best we can and get on with the job which is winning footy games."