Vodafone Warriors CEO Cameron George said today’s trans-Tasman bubble announcement was a positive step towards the club returning home later in the NRL season.
The New Zealand Government has announced a travel bubble was set to be in place later this month.
George confirmed a month ago the Vodafone Warriors had decided to extend their stay in Australia until June 21 while continuing to monitor developments.
“Today’s announcement of a travel bubble is cause for excitement but it doesn’t immediately affect our plans,” he said.
“Our position is that we will stay in Australia until after playing Newcastle on June 19. We had discussions with the NRL and our players and staff about our plan to ensure we have some stability for the first 15 rounds of the season.
Our desire hasn’t changed. We want to be back home as soon as it’s feasible so we can have our team playing in front of our families, members, fans and our supportive sponsors
Cameron George Vodafone Warriors CEO
“Our desire hasn’t changed. We want to be back home as soon as it’s feasible so we can have our team playing in front of our families, members, fans and our supportive sponsors.
“When it’s safe to do so, we look forward to sharing the biggest homecoming party with everyone at Mount Smart Stadium but we need to be absolutely sure we will be able to travel to and from Australia with confidence to ensure our place in the competition isn’t jeopardised.
“As we have done throughout we will keep monitoring the situation and will seek the best possible advice.”
As it stands, the Vodafone Warriors’ first home game at Mount Smart Stadium will be their 16th-round match against St George Illawarra on Friday, July 2.
The Vodafone Warriors plan to travel to Auckland on June 21 following the clash against the Knights.
There is then a break in the NRL schedule for State of Origin’s standalone second match at Suncorp Stadium on June 27, giving the Vodafone Warriors time to relocate to Auckland.
