We should sign Katoa
Warriors duo stranded in Australia as hopes fade on Leutele deal
Author
Troy Whittaker & Dan Walsh
Timestamp
Wed 29 Jul 2020, 05:51 PM
The Warriors have been left stunned by news rookies Eliesa Katoa and Selestino Ravutaumada will not be allowed back into New Zealand when the 2020 season ends due to immigration issues.
As first reported by Stuff, the two 20-year-olds have been told they will not be permitted to re-enter New Zealand under revised COVID-19 rules because they are not Kiwi citizens.
Katoa and Ravutaumada have lived in New Zealand for three and four years respectively on work visas, but face being stranded in Australia when their teammates return home.
CEO Cameron George has appealed for the government to review the situation given neither player has any family this side of the Tasman.
"We've been advised that they won't be permitted entry back into the country due to their status, which is devastating for us to hear," George told stuff.co.nz.
"Prior to leaving this country to go to Australia to carry out their employment, they were like any citizen of New Zealand.
"They’ve got the appropriate visas to be in New Zealand, they’ve got everything that you need to live in New Zealand and it’s easily demonstrated that they’re residents here, because they’ve been here for years and gone to school here.
"So what are we going to do? Drop them off and leave them on the shores of Australia?
"I call on the New Zealand government to review and reconsider this."
Meanwhile, the Warriors look unlikely to sign Toronto Wolfpack star Ricky Leutele on a short-term deal.
Interim coach Todd Payten said the centre would only come if he was afforded the same exemption as Sonny Bill Williams.
As it stands, players cannot hold simultaneous contracts with two competitions - and Leutele is unwilling to terminate his lucrative Wolfpack deal, which runs until 2021, for a brief Australian return.
ARL chairman Peter V'Landys indicated on Monday that Williams would be allowed to join the Roosters for the rest of the season due to the "extraordinary circumstances" of cash-strapped Toronto withdrawing from Super League in 2020.
If the same applies to Leutele, as Payten expects, then the coach would love to have the former Cronulla Shark join the Warriors at their Central Coast base to provide a boost to close out their tough campaign.
"We've made some enquiries [with Leutele] but he's not going to leave a really, really healthy contract if things aren't sorted properly in terms of rulings from the NRL," Payten said on Wednesday.
"I don't know where that stands at the moment. It could be sorted, it might not be, but he's on a rich contract over there. And for him to come over to us, he'll get about five games in and not for a great amount of money, so I can understand where he's coming from.
"So we're just seeking some clarity around that. I've read a couple of headlines that they'll bend the rules for Sonny Bill, but we're just waiting for confirmation. I expect it'd be across the board."
Asked whether he would be excited to see Williams return to the NRL even though it won't be for the Warriors, Payten jokingly deadpanned: "No".
"I said the other day I think he would've added value [to the Warriors], but I don't want to give it too much energy because I don't think he was ever really serious," Payten said.
"We did make a small enquiry but it was down the track with the Roosters, which is understandable. It is good to see him back."
The Warriors added two more loan players to their stocks this week with Parramatta's Daniel Alvaro and George Jennings arriving, while Penrith's Jack Hetherington has agreed to stay for another month.
Payten said the team was still looking for further loan players with nine games to go in the regular season after four players - David Fusitu'a, Ken Maumalo, Agnatius Paasi and King Vuniyayawa - returned home.
"As far as I'm aware we're allowed to go like-for-like with the players that have gone," Payten said, with that meaning the Warriors are after another middle forward and outside back.
"We are still able to loan other players ... We've come across some, but getting them across the line is harder."
Payten has been happy with how Alvaro and Jennings have settled in leading up to their club debuts against the Wests Tigers at the SCG on Friday night.
"George is starting on our left wing, Daniel will come off the bench. We haven't really worked out the rotation," Payten said.
"Both of them are going pretty well at training. I thought Daniel moved particularly well in the middle of the park."
