League:New-look Warriors club trying to rebuild relationships

The new-look Warriors do appear to be walking the walk as well as talking the talk as they attempt to rebuild partnerships with key players in league.

The club has established a routine of regular board meetings, and New Zealand Rugby League chairman Selwyn Pearson has been to all four since the new management took over, after years of non-contact.

The club has also been meeting the Auckland Rugby League and is seeking ways for its development side to play regularly, as it has done in recent weeks for the first time since the reserve grade was scrapped in 1997. Players have been attending junior registration at clubs.

The management has held individual meetings with each player and settled new contracts with all add-ons openly recorded, something that was not the case previously and in an area where the salary cap was breached. In future, they will hold talks with players and their agents at the same time, to ensure an open process. There is still some concern at the NRL about the actions of player managers and the issue has not been laid to rest.

The cap hangover to 2007 will be about $200,000 due to payments agreed for this year having been deferred. The NRL's planned increase in the cap may alleviate that.

Former CEO Mick Watson, who was in charge when the breach deals were done, has not been on the Cullen Sports or Cullen Investments payroll for around three months and is no longer associated with the companies in any way.

The club's season-ticket sales fell again over the off-season to 4000. A total of 10,035 were at the first match at Ericsson Stadium. Break-even is budgeted around 13,000.