Instead, they now find themselves on the NSW Coast, preparing to play Canberra on the Gold Coast, after flying north.
They have found accommodation, a gym, a training pitch and, most importantly, balls.
“That was a problem,” explains Dan Floyd, the club’s operations manager, who remains as cool as a cucumber despite being arguably the busiest man in rugby league over the last two days.
In a conference room in a hotel in Kingscliff, 24 Warriors players and 10 staff are gathered, bunkered down, waiting.
They have spent the last 48 hours in a state of flux.
Until 5pm Saturday, they were expecting to fly home to Auckland from Sydney after playing Newcastle. a local gym offered help,
“When we travel we have a system where we only take carry-on luggage for two to three nights.
“Equipment wise we’re [usually] only planning on enough for a captain’s run and a warm-up. The NRL and the clubs have been a massive help. We didn’t have enough strapping tape after the weekend.
“The Titans sent some balls down, a local rugby league club at Cudgen has put their ground up for us, a local gym has taken us in so we can keep training.”
The Dragons and Rabbitohs, like the Titans have also offered their assistance.
But even prior to landing on the Gold Coast on Sunday, Floyd had to juggle the logistic nightmare of who went home and who stayed in Australia as New Zealand began to close its borders.
The likes of Peta Hiku and Patrick Herbert have left, and it has put the Warriors in an unenviable position. They have had to call up five players – two of whom are on train-and-trial deals and three are on development deals – from their NSW Cup side.
The last-minute nature of the decision to stay in Australia also means the squad aren’t just without balls and tape, but also clothing.
“Canterbury, our apparel company, have been helping get some stuff shipped down from their warehouse in Queensland,” Floyd said.
“We’re working with a company at the moment at the club to try and get some stuff sent over [from New Zealand]. Thankfully, there’s some washing machines and we have had to be domesticated.
“We’re all different, some guys under pack, some over pack. A few boys who are a bit more minimalistic probably shot down to Kmart this morning.”
Entertainment is also at a premium given they packed so lightly. Even the age-old pastime of playing cards is, well, off the cards.
“There’s usually a lot of cards, but even with playing cards doctors are advising us to be very careful in regards to being too close in proximity,” Floyd, who was at pains to praise the support of the NRL, hotel staff and the club’s travel agent.
“A bunch of boys are off to a driving range, so it’s more making sure that we don’t have too much contact with the public. It’s a difficult balance making sure they're not potentially exposed to the virus, but also making sure they don’t get cabin fever. Some of the boys are seeing family.”
Kodi Nikorima caught up with ex-Brisbane teammate Jordan Kahu, while the likes of Tohu Harris, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Ken Maumalo caught up with Sam Lisone.
As far as Floyd is concerned, though, the Warriors are ready to face Canberra and it’s business as usual.
“We’ve got a game on Saturday that we need to prepare for,” he said. “We’re just planning for the week ahead at this stage and we’ll deal with that as it comes.”
https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...t/news-story/d313fe5be6b18dede9138e93959d371f
