The axe fell after South Sydney thumped the Warriors 40-12 at Bankwest Stadium, in Sydney, on Friday night.

Kearney's interim replacement, his one-time assistant Todd Payten, likened the mood in the Warriors camp following the dismissal to a "death in the family".

Payten was due to meet the side's leadership group on Sunday before addressing the entire squad, but he admitted that some players may wish to return to New Zealand.

He told NRL.com.au that the players were "rattled" when Kearney broke the news to them on Saturday, after he had received a call from Warriors chief executive Cameron George at 9.30am that morning advising him that he was gone.

Payten said the sudden sacking of the former Kiwi international may be the Warriors' greatest challenge since relocating to Tamworth on May 3 for isolation ahead of the NRL season restart, and then leaving 17 days later for their Central Coast season base.

He told NRL.com.au: "This team has been faced with quite a few challenges, and I think that they have handled it pretty well for the most part.

"The performance on Friday [against South Sydney] wasn't great. But given the fact that we have been away from home now for nearly nine weeks, there are layers of different challenges - and this one is a big challenge and a big moment that we are going to have to process before we get moving forward.

"It doesn't help the situation at the moment, but it is what it is. And as cold as it is, we have to move forward."

Payten said Kearney was "very well-respected and loved by the players".

"It hit them pretty hard in the face," he said.

New Zealand have had two wins and two losses since the restart.

They wear Tamworth's postcode on their jerseys as a mark of respect, after forming a deep bond with the city.