Australian scrum-half Chris Sandow has revealed "family reasons" were behind his decision to walk out on Warrington.
The 27-year-old former South Sydney and Parramatta half-back had 12 months left on his contract with the Super League club but failed to return for pre-season training, offering no explanation and relaying the message through his agent.
Sandow, who joined the Wolves from Parramatta Eels in the summer of 2015, has admitted he handled the situation badly but told foxsports.com.au he had been badly hit by the death of his uncle.
"It's a long way from home and I'm really family orientated," Sandow said. "When I went over there, my uncle, my dad's brother, passed away from cancer. We're really close. He's like a dad to me.
"I came over for his last couple of weeks when he got really sick but then he lasted another month and he passed away so I had to come back in a matter of weeks.
"It broke my heart. I've grown up with all my family around me. My uncle is a big part of me being where I am today and it's sad I couldn't see him out.
"I promised myself that's not going to happen again. When I got home from England I got comfortable and emotionally attached to my family. It was a tough decision to make."
Warrington are retaining Sandow's registration after declaring him in "clear breach of his contract" and have begun the search for a replacement.
"I should have been a man about it and explained to them what was happening," Sandow added.
"I'm from an Aboriginal community and communication isn't something that always comes naturally to me. I'm not a big communicator in the video sessions and I let my football do the talking on the paddock.
"I went over there at the back end of last year and it's a good club to go to But it's hard to go back knowing what I've got here in Australia and that's family.
"They're number one. Family is the most important thing to me and that's why I made the decision not to go back to England."
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