Warriors plead for government support to keep them viable

Warriors CEO Cameron George will appeal to the New Zealand government and NRL powerbrokers for added financial assistance as the Kiwi side faces an uncertain future.

The Warriors playing squad will return home from the Gold Coast on Tuesday afternoon having stayed in Australia to keep the competition going amid travel restrictions around the COVID-19 pandemic.

All over the game the Warriors have been praise for their sacrifices to ensure round two of the Telstra Premiership could be played, with their need to reunite with families playing a part in the ARL Commission's decision to suspend matches on Monday.

With New Zealand set to go into lockdown for the next month and anyone crossing the Tasman required to self-isolate for 14 days in both countries, George expects the Warriors won't be able to host games in 2020 should the competition return later in the year.

The Warriors were bought by Autex Industries in September but George said no discussions about extra funding have been broached yet with CEO Mark Robinson.

The club will however appeal for a share of New Zealand's recently announced $12.1 billion support package, with NZ Rugby counterparts indicating they will do the same on Monday.

George declared government stimulus and extra support from NRL rivals and governing body would prove critical in keeping the Warriors viable, though he stressed "our owners are committed to ensuring we survive this".

"We've always had our challenges given our environment, our landscape, rugby union's strength here, but this is unprecedented for us," George told pan66.com from Auckland.

"If sponsors walk away, members walk away, we're in the hole for millions and millions of dollars like every other club.

"But when you don't have that avid rugby league landscape around you, it's harder to pull it back.

"We can't sit around for months without playing. The challenge we have as opposed to others, I can tell you pretty sensibly that we're not going to have teams travelling to New Zealand this year.

"We'd lose all our home games. The international travel and border restrictions is something only we face.

"It will hammer us. It's hammering us now."

Under current NRL financing each club receives the same $13 million grant, but CEO Todd Greenberg has indicated unequal funding distribution to help clubs with greater financial needs could become a reality during the competition's hiatus.

"I think that's probably the conversations that have to happen in this next period of time," Greenberg told Fox League.

"No matter how strong you are as a club, no matter how successful, or financially successful, you can't play against yourself. You need opposition, you need the strength of all 16 clubs to make the competition as viable as you can.

"I think there has to be give and take. There has to be the opportunity to prop some up, some will need more help than others based on unique circumstances."

Asked if the Warriors may need more assistance than NRL rivals, George said: "Hopefully they look upon us a little bit differently, especially after the last couple of weeks. 

"We'd hope for a little bit more to keep us going but who knows."

As the NRL's sole Kiwi franchise the Warriors have struggled on and off-the-field at times since their inception in 1995, with ownership and coaching reins changing hands frequently.

But the club remains a key facet of the NRL in terms of maintaining a hold in a rugby-mad country and offering a broadcast market in New Zealand.

George stressed the Warriors had every intention of playing on when the pan66.competition is reinstated, and they plan to apply for government support in the meantime.

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"This club certainly adds significant value into the economy, through various streams and we take that very seriously," George said when asked about New Zealand's stimulus package on Tuesday.

"We do a lot of community work, a lot of work with our sponsors.

"We promote the country as a whole in the sporting sector and we do a lot of work throughout all of New Zealand. It's certainly something we will explore.

"We have every intention of being a part of the NRL and the rugby league landscape, absolutely.

"What that looks like, and where that can go, at the moment it's pretty raw for us. We're just getting back into our country.

"I'm honestly not even thinking about asking the players whether you want to participate in the competition in the next month or two.

"We just want to get them home and settled and keep everyone healthy."