Veteran New Zealand Warriors' prop Leeson Ah Mau will return home this week, gaining permission from the club to sit out the remainder of the season.
The New Zealand government are about to slam the door shut to their travel bubble with Australia for a minimum period of eight weeks, thanks to the escalating COVID situation in Australia.
It means that, at the absolute earliest, Warriors' players and staff wouldn't be able to return to New Zealand until the end of September.
With Ah Mau's family having relocated to Auckland, he asked the club permission to head home and be with them. The Warriors' season is likely to be over at the beginning of September, with the club unlikely to qualify for finals, a fact coach Nathan Brown conceded at last weekend's post game press conference following the club letting in 60 points against the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
While many Warriors' players families' have relocated to Australia on the Central Coast, Ah Mau's have not, and alongside Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, who left the club yesterday, will fly home.
Warriors CEO Cameron George confirmed the news, saying the club would support their players.
“With his family now back home, Leeson asked for permission to be reunited with them back in Auckland,” he said.
“This is a very difficult time as we all know. New Zealanders have only until the end of the week to fly home. If Leeson doesn’t get home this week, he would be over here on his own until the end of September and potentially longer.
“The needs of our players’ families have always been a priority.”
Up until the announcement, Ah Mau was the only Warriors' player who had played every game.
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The Warriors' prop is just the latest in a line of players who will miss the coming weeks, with an injury and suspension crisis not allowing the club to name 21 players this weekend.
Matt Lodge (suspension) will join injured forwards Tohu Harris, Matt Lodge, Wayde Egan among others on the sidelines, with the club naming just 20, including two in their reserves who are yet to play a game this season for this weekend's clash with the Wests Tigers on Friday night.
