Over the past two years, the New Zealand Warriors have called just about everywhere along the east coast of Australia home.
However, this will come to an end when the Warriors host the Wests Tigers at Mt Smart Stadium for their Round 16 clash on July 3 - a real homecoming.
This homecoming has been ticketed as one of the most important games in the club's history, with over two years spent away from their native country and its fans.
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This could all be unravelled in the eyes of the Warriors however if the New Zealand Kiwi International team chooses to play their upcoming test match against Tonga, expected to be in June, in front of the home crowd first.
And this revelation has reportedly left the Warriors "incensed".
The Sydney Morning Herald'sย Adrian Proszenko has revealed that while the Warriors declined to officially comment, sources familiar with the situation are "so incensed that consideration is being given to not releasing their players if the international proceeds in New Zealand".
The Warriors host a number of eligible players - including mainstay Shaun Johnson (New Zealand), Addin-Fonua Blake (Tonga), and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (New Zealand) - who would likely be unable to participate in the fixture if the club puts down the hammer.
Since the announcement of New Zealand's borders reopening, NZRL officials have been contemplating a potential home game for the test match, which would be the Kiwis first International match since 2019.
โItโs definitely our intention to get onto the field one way or another in June for both the Kiwis and Kiwi Ferns,โ said NZRL CEO Greg Peters.
โAt the moment weโre still working through what that looks like with the NRL, but weโre certainly intending to play then.
โObviously thereโs an attraction in playing at home in front of your fans and the families of the players is compelling, but thatโs only very recently become possible.
โThereโs still a lot more work to be done on that. The intention was to get on the pitch in June in Australia, but weโre still working through the details.
โThere are still a number of options, we havenโt landed on anything. We just want to get on the pitch in June and we need to because itโs two years since the Kiwis played.โ
Peters shot down claims that any home fixture before the Warriors' Round 16 return to Mt Smart would cut across the NRL club's plans.
โIt will be a big month if we can pull it off, but itโs very much still up in the air at the moment," Peters said.
โItโs a somewhat different fan base. Thereโs the sea of red if we play Tonga and a number of those are Warriors fans obviously, but I think itโs a different proposition.
โThereโs some crossover, but itโs a different fan base.โ
