NZ Warriors head coach Nathan Brown says the NZ Government's new five-stage border reopening is a huge relief for the club's staff, players and their families, but not so much for the team's fanbase.
Thursday's announcement brought new hope to the Warriors faithful who had held out hope their beloved team may now be able to return to their Mt Smart headquarters for the first time since 2019.
The Warriors had targeted a June clash with Penrith Panthers for their first game back in Auckland.
But it now seems unlikely that fixture could go ahead, with the club needing the country to be in stage four - which isn't expected until July - for it to proceed as scheduled, with the July 3 clash with Wests Tigers shaping as a best case scenario.
"I'm not sure other sides would want to isolate, to be honest with you," says Brown.
"The news we got is obviously great for our club… but from other clubs' point of view, I'm certainly not sure too many other clubs would want to do that at this stage."
Brown says the news was a boost to team morale, with players now able to have friends and family travel more freely trans-Tasman to their Redcliffe base.
"The fact that some of the players can get their families out without needing an isolation spot, obviously being able to self-isolate at home for seven days is a far better situation," he adds.
"So being able to get families, close friends and loved ones out here is a real bonus."
Except for the returning Shaun Johnson, Brown says all of the players with wives and young children have their families with them in Australia.
Brown says the squad is still holding out hope of a return later in the NRL schedule, particularly those players who have yet to experience the renowned Mt Smart atmosphere.
"When we made the decision to base ourselves here for 12 months, I think we were all hopeful of playing some football back home," says Brown.
"I think there are a lot of people who would love to get back there and play their first game there for different reasons, but we were all open-minded that it may not happen.
"I think now that we've planned for six [games] we'd certainly be disappointed if we got none, that's for sure."
The Warriors begin their pre-season with a clash against Melbourne Storm on February 19.
