BY CURTIS WOODWARD

@woodward_curtis

The New Zealand Warriors have thrown down the gauntlet to the rest of the NRL with CEO Cameron George telling commission chairman Peter V’landys “this will be the greatest story in rugby league when we come to Australia and kick your arse”.

Around fifty Warriors players and staff are preparing to set up base in Tamworth ahead of the NRL season return on May 28th with a flight scheduled out of Auckland on Sunday.

“There’s no CEO in the world right now running any organisation asking 50 of his employees to relocate to another country without knowing what they will be paid or without family support or when they are coming back,” George told Newstalk ZB.

“I feel like our club is being asked to do something no one in the world is doing anywhere. It is a massive sacrifice and we are a family orientated club.

“But how good – I signed off on an email to Peter V’landys the other day said ‘this will be the greatest story in rugby league when we come to Australia and kick your arse’.

“I feel like this has galvanised the mindset of a lot of people in our club. It’s different and maybe that’s what we need.”

The Warriors have underachieved since coming into top flight rugby league in 1995 but George says the current administration and playing group could leave a real legacy amid COVID-19.

“For 25 years the normal approach hasn’t been great success for us,” George added.

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“I was saying to (Warriors head coach) Steve Kearney, and our playing group, take this opportunity, seize it and do something no one thinks we can do.

“Let’s go with the best attitude.”

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Meanwhile NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro believes Penrith star Nathan Cleary should be suspended for the rest of the NRL season for flouting COVID-19 isolation rules.

Original images showed Cleary on a lounge with several women which forced the Panthers halfback to apoligise via Channel Nine. Less than 24 hours later a video then surfaced of Cleary dancing with a group of girls on the TikTok app.

@woodward_curtis