NRL 2020: Warriors filthy after punters masquerade as players at Central Coast pubs

More than any, New Zealand Warriors players have made huge sacrifices to ensure the NRL season can be completed in the midst of the global pandemic. So it’s understandable they’d be fuming over being falsely implicated in quarantine breaches.

The Warriors are rightly seething after it was revealed fans have been masquerading as them outside their quarantine zone. Picture: Getty Images

The New Zealand Warriors are angry over claims there are people around the Central Coast moonlighting as their players at pubs.

As if the past few months haven’t been tough enough on the Warriors, now it seems they have been caught up in a case of being wrongly identified around the coastal town where they are staying.

In one instance it’s claimed a player’s wife noticed her husband’s name signed in on the registry at a nearby pub, which made her wonder who was signing in on her husband’s behalf.

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The NRL are looking into claims members of the public have been signing in as Warriors players at pubs and clubs on the Central Coast. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

The wife knew for a fact that her husband was not at nor had been at the premises.

This was brought to the attention of the Warriors’ management and it was one of several instances that has had the Warriors privately filthy that their reputations continue to be brought under the microscope for no valid reasons.

They say they are sticking to the rules in place for them and they want it out in the community that the so-called COVID breaches do not involve them.

There were also reports “Warriors players” had been spotted at a local party last weekend but it was not them.

The NRL has been made aware of the situation and are looking into it.

The Warriors have been exceptionally well behaved while staying at Terrigal for the past few months and have really done well under trying circumstances to stick to the NRL COVID protocols.

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The NRL have made some leniency for the Warriors to make their situation sustainable but they are not allowed to mix within the community unless it is as a group in isolation.

For instance they can attend a local restaurant if the premises has been cleaned prior to their arrival and they are not mixing with outside customers.

The Warriors are staying at the Star of the Sea complex which is located a couple of hundred metres away from where the Melbourne Rebels are holed up at the Terrigal Crowne Plaza.

It is understood the Rebels have similar protocols in place for group gatherings.