A heartbreaking image of Adam Blair hugging his inconsolable son before leaving for Australia has captured what the Warriors are sacrificing in order to ensure the NRL re-starts.
But captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck said nothing would stop the Warriors from keeping their “eyes on the prize” when the NRL resumes on May 28.
Warriors players made tearful goodbyes to loved ones at Auckland Airport on Sunday after finally being cleared to enter Australia for what may be a six month stay.
The painful moment was perhaps summed up best by Jess Blair’s Instagram post showing a picture of her husband – Warriors forward Adam – embracing his distraught young son Taika.
While Tuivasa-Sheck admitted it was tough boarding their charter flight, he said the Warriors were now determined to do their families proud when the competition resumes.
“That was definitely the tough part, saying goodbye to the family out there in the car park and seeing my two kids go away,” he said.
“They are at a young age where they still don’t understand what is going on.
“(But) we can’t use it as an excuse. We are still hungry and want to represent our families, fans and members.
“We need to sacrifice our families and go over to Australia and go to work because that is what everyone wants.
“So many people have been working behind the scenes to get this going – it is up to us to make the most of this opportunity ..and keep our eyes on the prize.”
Warriors players arrived in their own vehicles at Auckland Airport wearing facemasks, pulling up at a private facility near the runway to board their charter flight.
They were given exemptions to fly directly to Tamworth, NSW where they are set to undergo a 14-day quarantine before a likely move to a Central Coast base.
Reigning Golden Boot winner Tuivasa-Sheck hoped players’ families would be able to join the squad in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, he said the Warriors were ready to hit the ground running in NSW after all 16 clubs receive a briefing on the NRL’s strict biosecurity guidelines on Monday.
“At this stage I am prepared to go over for five months and go to work,” he said.
“I am pretty excited just to go over and get amongst it all.”