NRL: Warriors slam Titans over 'unsporting' jersey choice

The Titans have been accused of poor sportsmanship after the Warriors' application to wear their white 'away' jersey was denied. Photos / Getty Images

The New Zealand Warriors are upset the National Rugby League (NRL) has scheduled a 1pm (local time) kickoff for their match on Sunday and accused opponents Gold Coast of a lack of sportsmanship over jersey choice.

With the Queensland heat a concern, the Warriors applied to wear their white away strip for the match at Robina, but the Titans countered by saying they will be donning their own alternative white outfit.

Chief executive Wayne Scurrah today said the Auckland club was "pretty disappointed" that the Titans were making the Warriors wear their black strip.

"It's not being done for any other reason than to force our players to wear the hottest possible jerseys," he said.

"It's somewhat unsportsmanlike."

Scurrah said the Warriors had complained to the NRL about the early kickoff time, which was dictated by television and by the fact that there is no daylight saving in Queensland.

The Warriors will be in the same situation in round three, when they travel to Brisbane to face the Broncos.

"We cop it twice and we're not happy," Scurrah said.

"We've formally complained to the NRL, firstly about the decision to schedule games in Queensland at that time of the time of day in the early part of the season, and secondly to have us as the away team, given that we train in the coldest conditions.

"You wouldn't want a player to suffer heat exhaustion or something even worse because of this type of scheduling. We think it's a risk to players' health."

Scurrah said the NRL acknowledged the club's concerns, but added that it wasn't in the position to change the kickoff times for the early rounds of this year.

Coach Ivan Cleary said the best possible preparations were being made for the players in terms of hydration and keeping body temperatures down.

"The reality is that it's going to be hot and we know it and that's part of what playing in the NRL in Australia is about."

However, Cleary said the kickoff time was "a little confusing", given that there were just two daytime matches in the round and Queensland was the venue for one of them.

But that was where the game was at today.

"It's all based around TV and you have to roll with it".

Gold Coast football manager Scott Clark said the schedule was also a concern for the Titans.

"It's ridiculous," he said, adding that the Titans had a short turnaround, with their round two match against the Rabbitohs being in Sydney next Friday night.

"We did the exact same last year and it took the players until Wednesday to recover from the heat," he said.

"We're not happy about it either."

The weather forecast for Sunday does provide some comfort for both sides. Showers are predicted, with temperatures down to about 23degC, or similar to what Auckland was experiencing today.

- NZPA