Vodafone Warriors to play NRL season matches in Australia

Vodafone Warriors Chief Executive Cameron George has confirmed the NRL squad will remain in Australia this week following the new travel restrictions imposed by the New Zealand Government in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Players and staff were scheduled to arrive home on Sunday afternoon after Saturday night’s opening-round loss to the Newcastle Knights in Newcastle.

They would have returned in time to avoid the compulsory two-week self-isolation period which comes into effect from midnight for all people arriving in New Zealand.

George advised "with the travelling restrictions coming into place, returning to New Zealand would effectively remove us from the competition.

"We had extensive meetings with (NRL Chief Executive) Todd Greenberg, the Rugby League Players’ Association and our players and staff until late (Saturday) night to consider all our options.

"There is a lot of take into account, not least the impact on families back home as well as our members, fans, sponsors and other stakeholders.

"Ultimately we have reached a decision for the team to stay in Australia for the coming week. They’ll be based on the Gold Coast and will play Canberra next weekend, probably at Cbus Super Stadium.

"The landscape is changing so rapidly, though, and together with the NRL we’ll monitor the situation on a daily basis."

George said the club would work through the impact of the decision with sponsors, fans and all other parties the Vodafone Warriors have partnerships with.

Football Federation Australia (FFA) has today confirmed that the Wellington Phoenix will play all their matches in Australia for the remainder of the Hyundai A-League 2019/20 season.

Sanzaar, the governing body behind Super Rugby, announced yesterday that the competition will be suspended "for the foreseeable future".

Image: Vodafone Warriors fans won't see their team play in Auckland for the foreseeable future.