Roger Tuivasa-Sheck's NRL career is seemingly over after he decided to return home to New Zealand and end his Warriors season early.
Already bound for rugby union next year, Tuivasa-Sheck has made the call to rush back home on Thursday before the trans-Tasman bubble is closed for at least eight weeks.
One of the game's most electrifying fullbacks, Tuivasa-Sheck won a premiership with the Sydney Roosters in 2013 and scored 58 tries in 195 NRL games.
But, unless he makes a comeback down the track, his decision means the 2018 Dally M Medal winner's NRL career was ended with a concussion against Penrith in round 18, ruling him out of last Saturday's loss to South Sydney.
Tuivasa-Sheck had initially planned on playing out the season, but has now been granted a release to avoid quarantine and prevent a hold up to his switch to rugby union.
"It was a real tough decision to leave this group and this club," Tuivasa-Sheck said.
"I was trying to get my family back over to Australia for the next eight weeks, but then I wasn't sure when we would be able to return home.
"It's all emotions at the moment.
"It was tough telling the boys and trying to hold back tears."
Tuivasa-Sheck's plight sums up that of the Warriors, who had hoped to return to Auckland next month for a home game before Australia's latest coronavirus outbreak.
Players and staff have not been home since a two-month stint between last October and January, when the Warriors conducted a pre-season with Australia and New Zealand-based groups.
A premiership winner with the Roosters in 2013, Tuivasa-Sheck scored 58 tries in 195 NRL games.
"He has led us through the toughest times in the club's history and this is the one way we can repay him," Warriors CEO Cameron George.
"There are no problems between us and Roger.
"And it's about us finding any solution in this really challenging time."
The suspension of the travel bubble also raises questions over how the Warriors will return home at the end of the NRL campaign.
Tuivasa-Sheck's exit represents another blow to the club after six straight losses, meaning their season will almost certainly end within the next eight weeks.
The Warriors now intend on staying in Australia beyond the end of the season as they await a spot in the queue to return home.
But if the break in the bubble is extended beyond eight weeks, George said they could be forced to wait until December before leaving Australia.
"We'll start to explore (how to get back), but we're respectful that we are no more important than anyone else striving to get back to New Zealand as well," George said.
"We don't expect special treatment.
"But if there is a way we can get the group in considering the larger scale of our group we will work with the government and Sport New Zealand."
Australian Associated Press
