The Warriors hope an emotion-free approach to another poignant NRL moment will work for them when they farewell four players from their Australian odyssey this weekend.
Saturday’s game against Sydney Roosters in Gosford will be the last this season for star wingers Ken Maumalo and David Fusitu’a.
They’ll be joined on a flight home to Auckland the following day by forwards Agnatius Paasi and King Vuniyayawa, with the foursome having lasted nearly three months with the relocated squad before answering a call from loved ones.
Seasoned forward Adam Blair said talk of farewells has been on the backburner this week following last weekend’s 46-10 pasting from Cronulla.
Blair said they don’t want sentiment to play a part in performance – which would mirror their attitude when they won their first game after undergoing quarantine, a methodical 18-0 whitewash of St George Illawarra back in May.
“That’s been the whole thinking around it. The focus has been on making sure we get our jobs done,” Blair said on Friday.
“We just want to make sure that they (departing players) give us everything they have for the last game.
“If we go out there worrying about that or the Roosters, and how good they are, we’ll get another scoreline put on us like the other week.”
A threadbare roster will become reality on Monday for the Warriors who could be asking for up to six loan players to replace departees.
Forward Leivaha Pulu returned home three weeks ago while Penrith loan player Jack Hetherington’s four-game loan deal comes to an end this week.
Warriors management had planned talks with the Panthers to request an extension for front-rower Hetherington.
Coach Todd Payten has been critical of rival clubs’ unwillingness to provide NRL-standard loan options, leaving him to consider fielding development players over the second half of the season.
Payten received sympathy from Roosters counterpart Trent Robinson, who had given the green light for his prop Poasa Faamausili to join the Warriors earlier in the season for four games.
“It was a real positive for us to have Poasa go up there and play … we see it as a benefit for both them and the Roosters as well, so that (unhelpful) hasn’t been the case with us,” he said.
“Offering them NRL experience, it is really vital. They feel like they’ll probably need that after this weekend.”
Robinson also issued the Warriors a warning, with his players coming off a nine-day rest following their surprise four-point loss to Canberra.
A sense of determination had enveloped the defending premiers, which could spell trouble for opponents whose seven losses this season have included five by 20 points or more.
