1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,080 Speaker 1: The season hasn't even started. Getting the Warriors of losing 2 00:00:02,120 --> 00:00:05,280 Speaker 1: players for goodness, Captain Mitch Bunnette will depart at the 3 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:07,040 Speaker 1: end of the season. He's heading back to Australia for 4 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:09,840 Speaker 1: family reasons, club releasing him for the final year of 5 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:11,959 Speaker 1: his deal. Cameron George is of course the Warrior is 6 00:00:12,039 --> 00:00:15,280 Speaker 1: CEO and it's back with us. Cameron morning, Good morning, Mike. 7 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 1: We've been here before, haven't we. 8 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:22,639 Speaker 2: Yeah, we have in different circumstances. This one is quite 9 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:25,480 Speaker 2: personal and we good work through it with Mitche over 10 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:28,800 Speaker 2: the last few weeks and there's no better place for 11 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:31,560 Speaker 2: him to be than back home, family, support mate. So 12 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:35,920 Speaker 2: it's unfortunate because he's been such a great leader and 13 00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 2: it is a great leader for our footy club and 14 00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:40,320 Speaker 2: he'll chip in this year and have a big crack 15 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:43,600 Speaker 2: and yeah, he and his family will head back to 16 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:46,400 Speaker 2: the best place for them at the end of this year. 17 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:50,320 Speaker 1: Would was this always in the background and potentially going 18 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:51,479 Speaker 1: to become an issue? 19 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:58,760 Speaker 2: Oh absolutely not. This has come around you to health reasons, 20 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:01,680 Speaker 2: and it's it's come to light in the last month 21 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 2: or so, so you know, this definitely hasn't hasn't been 22 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:08,840 Speaker 2: planned and wasn't was in the back of his mind. 23 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:11,480 Speaker 2: In fact, you know, at some stage recently we had 24 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:16,000 Speaker 2: discussions about, you know, possibly extending. So he's a terrific person, 25 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:21,080 Speaker 2: terrific leader, and he's very, very you know, sad about 26 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:24,360 Speaker 2: leaving our footay club because he's become an origin player 27 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:27,440 Speaker 2: and Australian player and a leader and he's really found 28 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 2: his home. But circumstances just have changed dramatically. 29 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 1: So did you think about the possibility, and you know, 30 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:36,800 Speaker 1: assuming there's good will on both sides, did you think 31 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:38,960 Speaker 1: about the possibility of leaving and go this year this 32 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:41,679 Speaker 1: season as well? Given you could argue, couldn't you that 33 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 1: a guy's out the door mentally might not be that 34 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:45,080 Speaker 1: prison on the field. 35 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 2: No, not at all, Mitch. Mitch ain't like that. You know, 36 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 2: he had been in the sanctum yesterday to him and 37 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 2: speak to his teammates and no, Look, if that was 38 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:01,040 Speaker 2: what Mitch wanted, we've have sat down with him and 39 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:04,559 Speaker 2: considered that, but it's not a necessity at this point 40 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:08,600 Speaker 2: in time. And look, we would have been men left 41 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:13,360 Speaker 2: shorthanded with depth and players in that area. Mitch is 42 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 2: the last thing he wants to do is do that 43 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:17,880 Speaker 2: to our footy club. So I was never ever mentioned 44 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:21,680 Speaker 2: and we can manage through the short term, but certainly 45 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:23,639 Speaker 2: needs to be home late this year. 46 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:27,800 Speaker 1: Is this just going to be an issue for the 47 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:31,120 Speaker 1: Warriors If you have an Australian here, getting them here 48 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:32,600 Speaker 1: in the first place is a bit of an issue. 49 00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:35,320 Speaker 1: If you get them here, then at some point, at 50 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:38,359 Speaker 1: some times, something may come up and it is what 51 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:38,720 Speaker 1: it is. 52 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, look, I just want to be really clear here. 53 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:46,120 Speaker 2: I just want to park Mitch's circumstances. They are certainly 54 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:49,239 Speaker 2: very different to what I've dealt with in the past. 55 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 2: But yeah, look, certainly in the past we've had players 56 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:56,720 Speaker 2: from offshore, you know, get the homesickness or just need 57 00:02:56,760 --> 00:02:59,160 Speaker 2: to be back home for whatever reason, and you've got 58 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:02,520 Speaker 2: to play it case by case. But you know, equally, 59 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:05,959 Speaker 2: we've had Kiwi players come the other way, James Fishahara's Charms, 60 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 2: Nickel Clott stat and the likes on compassionate ground. So 61 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:13,320 Speaker 2: it is and it is something that does come up 62 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:16,080 Speaker 2: from time to time a lot with our club naturally 63 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:20,320 Speaker 2: because we're offshore. But you know, we just need to 64 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:23,160 Speaker 2: continue to do our hard work behind the scenes to 65 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:25,239 Speaker 2: make it a club. They want to be at and 66 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 2: we do a lot of work with the families away 67 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:29,560 Speaker 2: from footing and so on and make them and embrace 68 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:32,200 Speaker 2: them here in New Zealand. And it's something that I 69 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 2: don't think you'll ever go away, but it's something that 70 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 2: you know, we've tried to get right all the time 71 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:41,280 Speaker 2: and it is part of our due diligence process when 72 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:44,480 Speaker 2: we talk to the players. But you know yourself, things 73 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:46,960 Speaker 2: can change. But I don't want to be that club 74 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:50,760 Speaker 2: that dismisses what's really important to the person rather than 75 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 2: the player, and that's that's family and so on, because 76 00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:56,280 Speaker 2: I feel like that's also an attraction to our footy 77 00:03:56,280 --> 00:03:58,800 Speaker 2: club that we do deal with things like this on 78 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:01,360 Speaker 2: a case by case base in a positive way. Good. 79 00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 1: Hey, you've lost twice pre season. Now what are we 80 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:05,040 Speaker 1: doing about this? 81 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:10,080 Speaker 2: Trials mate? Look that the preseason is all about the kids. 82 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:12,920 Speaker 2: It's all about getting things right. We had nine NRL 83 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:15,800 Speaker 2: players not played last weekend deliberately because of the All 84 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:19,080 Speaker 2: Stars and and something, but equally nine young kids got 85 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:22,360 Speaker 2: an opportunity to play. And when you look at last 86 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:25,320 Speaker 2: week's game against reg Iff, in the first half, we're 87 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:28,200 Speaker 2: well and truly up and Adam and we had all 88 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:30,280 Speaker 2: those players out. They had their best team on there 89 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:32,920 Speaker 2: apart from the Hammer, so really proud of that. And 90 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:35,160 Speaker 2: then when the kids went on there, they just you know, 91 00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:37,720 Speaker 2: they let it slip away a little bit. But that's learnings, 92 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:40,960 Speaker 2: that's experience, and it'll count next Friday night, Mike, that's 93 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:44,200 Speaker 2: when it starts. W didn't win all her trials, which 94 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:47,000 Speaker 2: she certainly won all the races, and let's you know, 95 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:49,880 Speaker 2: let's go into the season very positive. Fill the house 96 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:53,200 Speaker 2: and you know, we've got we've got a bloody good 97 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:55,760 Speaker 2: team and plenty of depth, and that's something to this 98 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:59,240 Speaker 2: club and our fans should be really excited for the future. 99 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:02,400 Speaker 1: About might go well. Cameron George, who's the CEO Webster 100 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:04,200 Speaker 1: who's actually in charge of the team itself, is going 101 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:05,720 Speaker 1: to be on the program next week. By way of 102 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 1: the he refers Friday to the roosters, of course, which 103 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:11,320 Speaker 1: is the opening mac. For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, 104 00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:13,000 Speaker 1: listen live to news Talks. 105 00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:16,240 Speaker 2: It'd be from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast 106 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:17,120 Speaker 2: on iHeartRadio.