Warriors

Warriors wing Patrick Herbert holds son for first time in 23 days, Chanel Harris-Tavita dropped to bench

For the first time since the Warriors left Auckland on a chartered flight bound for Tamworth on May 3, Herbert has been able to hold his three-month-old son True.

Herbert flew home from Australia following the Warriors first-round loss to the Newcastle Knights to be with partner Kirri who had recently given birth to their son.

He missed the round two loss to the Canberra Raiders to beat the border closures to regain entry into New Zealand.

NRL makes rule change to help Warriors

The Auckland club has been asking the Australian Rugby League Commission for extra support, having lost three players to long-term injuries since arriving in Australia.

The Warriors need relief in the middle third of the field in particular, with first-choice front-rower Leeson Ah Mau all but sidelined for the season with a ruptured pectoral muscle, while lock Jazz Tevaga will miss the opening rounds with a knee injury.

Warriors head into NRL restart minus key prop Ah Mau

First-choice prop Leeson Ah Mau, who has made 205 first grade appearances, will be sidelined for up to four months after scans confirmed he ruptured a pectoral muscle at training in Tamworth on Friday.

Ah Mau will stay in Australia for his operation this week before returning home, and is unlikely to play any part in the restarted NRL season.

The former St George Illawarra Dragons front-rower hadn't missed a game for the Warriors since returning to Mt Smart.

Competition within Warriors ranks welcomed ahead of season re-start

Nathaniel Roache has joined the squad at its training base in Tamworth, New South Wales after missing the team's charter flight last Sunday.

Roache sat out the opening couple of rounds of the season as he continued his recovery from a serious knee injury, but will now try and vie for the Warriors' nine jersey with Lawton and Wayde Egan, who started against both Newcastle and Canberra.

Warriors on their own in Australia

The squad flew out from Auckland yesterday after getting clearance to resume training ahead of a resumption of the competition at the end of the month.

They were without two players, hooker Nathaniel Roache, who felt unwell on the morning of departure and centre David Fusitu'a, who was given permission to delay his departure on compassionate grounds.

The players said their farewells as they were dropped off at Auckland airport.

Warriors cleared to take part in restarted NRL

The Warriors will enter 14 days' isolation in Tamworth, New South Wales where they will be permitted to train, in the lead-up to the recommencement of the NRL season on 28 May.

"As a club we're both relieved and excited that our requests have now been taken care of to our satisfaction," Warriors CEO Cameron George said.

"We have never wavered in our commitment to be involved in supporting the resumption of the season. We're now ready to go and couldn't be happier about the prospect of being back on the field at the end of the month.

Australian PM discusses NRL return

The NRL is moving ahead with plans to restart its season next month amid the coronavirus pandemic.

It had been reported the Warriors would be granted an exemption to enter Australia.

But Morrison said that decision was yet to be made and a May 28 resumption for the NRL was not yet locked in.

"That still hasn't been determined. The commonwealth has made no decision about the access by the Warriors into Australia, that hasn't happened," he told a news conference on Wednesday.

Canberra too strong for Warriors

Just days after committing to playing their games in Australia, the Warriors were unable to fire on attack as the green machine scored four tries to one.

Canberra led 6-0 at half time.

The Warriors were headed towards becoming the first team in 100 years of rugby league to go scoreless in their first two games of a season until a penalty try in the 75th minute ensured they would put points on the scoreboard for the first time this year.

Warriors to stay in Australia

The club's chief executive Cameron George announced this morning that captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and his team have reaffirmed their commitment to stay in Australia and continue in the 2020 competition in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Warriors players met last night and voted to remain.

The team has spent this week in camp in Kingscliff in northern New South Wales ahead of their second-round game against the Canberra Raiders on the Gold Coast tomorrow night.

Joey Leilua takes Warriors to pieces in barnstorming Tigers debut

Replacement hooker Reynolds barrelled over from dummy-half near halftime to level the scores 6-6- before the visitors controlled the second spell on Sunday against the injury-hit Warriors.

It will have been a sweet moment for the 30-year-old former Blues Origin star, who was only cleared this week of domestic violence allegations after NSW police dropped charges against him.

Reynolds’ try preceded a dominant second half for the Tigers, who crossed twice through winger David Nofoaluma and through a sharp chip and chase from Luke Brooks.