CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
North-West NSW rugby league clubs are reportedly stoked to have the New Zealand Warriors stay in the epicentre of the New England region for the next few months.
As the first NRL side to begin training after being given exemptions to travel from New Zealand to Australia, the Warriors are currently on lock-down in Tamworth and beginning their paces as of yesterday.
Other clubs weren’t due back for physical training until today, but the Warriors’ quarantine camp in Tamworth has already fired up at Scully Park.
The squad was split into four groups and shuttled through field and gym sessions with as little contact with each other as possible.
When the mandatory 14-day isolation phase is complete, players will begin contact drills.
Unlike the cowards in Albury council who have voted down to host the Melbourne Storm on the NSW side of the border, the Warriors have been met with cheers upon their arrival to Tamworth. With local clubs saying that having the players there for a couple months is a great boost for local footy in the region.
However, aside from the joy it brings footy fans to watch superstars like Roger Tuivasa-Sheck running around the oval in their own town, clubs in the region say that there are many other benefits that could come from this experiment.
Namely, a potential boost in talent for the next generation of rugby league players.
North Tamworth Bears CEO Barnaby Windsor says in the scheme of things, sixteen or so more single mothers in the region would actually be a net-win for local football.
“I mean, ideally, when the competition is underway and the virus is starting to disappear… It’d be great to see the boys firing up their dating apps and making a few isolation breaches.” he said.
“You can just imagine. Haha”
In fact, the idea of a bit of cross-tasman interbreeding has been met with so much enthusiasm that isolation breaches are being openly encouraged for Warriors players.
A letter signed by over 50 coaches and and administrators from both the Group 4 and Group 19 competitions all agree that a little bit of fence-jumping couldn’t hurt rugby league in the region.
Glen Innes magpies head coach, Humphrey Archdale says there is a very real possibility that New England could host a new wave of Pacific Islander talent in the years to come, if the local girls play their cards right.
“Imagine having our very own Vuna playing for the Maggies.” he said.
“We’ve got the second generation of the Vuna footballing dynasty currently sitting idle in the middle of Tamworth. I mean, I don’t know if he has a missus back home or…”
“Ya know?”
“Or maybe a Tuivasa-Sheck. If we can take anything from this year’s NRL season… anything is possible”
Miranda Donnelly, CEO of the Gunnedah Bulldogs agrees.
“Hosting the Warriors in the middle of the New England might hold the key to the future of rugby league in North-West New South Wales”
“Would love to see these boys sow their oats. And you know what they say about the New England…Very fertile soil.”
“Maybe it’s time for the food bowl to become the footy bowl”
“When you consider the indiscretions of our local member, we are already known as a hot spot for Kiwi citizens to spread their seeds”
