Roger Tuivasa-Sheck previews 2021 NRL season

The Warriors have hatched a plan to flood New Zealand with their NRL games in 2022, and some Australian clubs are backing the move.Warriors chief executive Cameron George plans to buy home games off their NRL opponents and play them around the country.The club is marooned in Australia for a second season because of Covid-19 travel restrictions. Their 2021 campaign won't return to Mt Smart Stadium until June 21 at earliest, having played all their games in Australia in 2020.They will seek compensation from the NRL but are being proactive about kick-starting the game here in 2022, planning to spend over $2.5m to acquire home game rights from opponents.George indicated to the Herald-Sun that some opponents were willing to play ball, and he has reached out to investors to back the scheme. NRL clubs reportedly make about $250,000 per home game."I've already started discussing with certain NRL clubs whether they would consider selling us their home game to come to New Zealand next year," he said."I'm trying to build a portfolio of games to play in New Zealand next year and get as many as we can to play over there."For example, instead of playing the likes of the Raiders in Canberra,I'd buy that game off them and bring them to Wellington or Christchurch."We play 10 home games next year, plus the Magic Round in Brisbane. I'd love to buy as many away games from the Australian-based clubs and play a minimum 16 NRL games here. We'd love up to 20 games."He is also asking the NRL to schedule as many games as possible in the prime 8pm Friday kickoff spot."(That) gives the game a really good launch pad - it's about relaunching the game in New Zealand, not just the Warriors," George said."The way to do that is to play as many games as we can in New Zealand."Under the scheme, the NRL would pay for the Australian teams' travel, instead of what would have been the Warriors' costs.George said that because the Warriors had paid such a high price to keep the NRL afloat during the pandemic, rival clubs had indicated a willingness to be part of the scheme to "spread the gospel"...at the right price.The club is down about $300,000 per lost home game, and George said it had affected membership."We will be knocking on the NRL's door at some stage," he said."It has really impacted on our financial position in the short, mid and long term."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.