Warriors CEO Cameron George is confident his team will fly to Australia this Sunday although he admits there is plenty to iron out after yesteday's news of boycott threats.
George spoke to TVNZ1's Breakfast this morning about the rollercoaster journey the Kiwi NRL club has been on since the season was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic in March.
"I've been completely involved in the discussions since April 10 - that was the first time that I asked the NRL for information," George said.
"The three non-negotiables for us were simply our players needed to understand what their pay and remuneration was going to be for the year ahead.
"In addition to that, was there family supports for our players? And finally, we needed to understand what the competition was going to be so we knew how long we were going to be away for."
With tough border restrictions currently in place for both New Zealand and Australia, the Warriors will have to play out the remainder of the new-look NRL season away from home which is causing extra pressure for both players and their families.
George said the Warriors only started learning information in relation to their non-negotiables "two nights ago".
"From that point on they discussed with the RLPA [Rugby League Players' Association] and the wider playing group throughout the NRL and as an association, they made a stance on that."
That stance included threats to not board their flight this Sunday unless they were told more about the payments situation and what support was being offered for their families with players set to live for up to six months in Sydney if all goes well in the competition.
George said the club is holding important discussions today to get everyone on the same page.
"I'm pretty confident it will get sorted out and hopefully that gets done today and we can get on that plane on Sunday and get to Australia.
"I'm going to talk to our leadership team this morning and... we'll have a very mature conversation about the situation they're in, the situation the world is in at the moment and the opportunities that lay ahead by going to Australia and playing in the competition."
George added the past month has been frustrating with the lack of information he was initially able to give players from the NRL.
"Certainty is the greatest thing we can give people at the moment and I feel like I've been letting them down in part as I haven't been able to secure the information from third parties."
The NRL's plan is for the Warriors to depart New Zealand on Sunday and, while in self-isolation in Tamworth, join rival teams in preparing for a May 28 restart.
George said this season could be special for the Warriors if they board that plane on Sunday.
"Our players have really galvanised through this tough time and there's a real sense of mentality.
"You never know, this could be the greatest story in rugby league."
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