NRL: Inside Warriors rookie Sam Healey's last-gasp call-up in victory over Cronulla Sharks
When the 22-year-old woke up last Saturday morning, all he was thinking about was another appearance for the New South Wales Cup team. Apart from one
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NZ Herald
2 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Auckland stadiums: Having four separate venues is unsustainable
Ali Williams and Anna Mowbray were backing the proposed Auckland Arena at Western Springs. Photo / Supplied The proposal was curious in that: Auckland FC's debut season averaged 18,101 attendees yet it proposed a 12,500-capacity stadium with TAU acknowledging 'larger games would still require the capacity of Mt Smart or Eden Park'. The location lacked critical infrastructure, including hospitality venues, public transport links, public car parking and crowd dispersal routes for the proposed capacity. A '$200m-$300m' cost estimate presented a substantial $100m gap, suggesting cursory planning. The per-seat cost was significantly below Te Kaha in Christchurch, even accounting for the absence of a roof. It's worth wondering: Why was TAU supporting the building of another stadium when it contradicts 15 years of consistent advice the council has received? In 2020, a review of Auckland Council's resources led by Miriam Dean stated: 'The harsh economic reality is Auckland neither needs nor can afford four stadiums.' The Long-Term Plan 2024–2034 provides for $146.3m of ratepayer money just to maintain (not improve) the aging stadium network. This pattern of inaction isn't new. In 2006, the government offered to fully fund a waterfront stadium. Remarkably, the then-Auckland Regional Council rejected this proposal, turning down what would likely be well over $1b (from taxpayers) in today's money, preferring to maintain four aging stadiums (funded by ratepayers). One key aim of the Super City amalgamation in 2010 was to rationalise water, transport and the four 'main stadiums'. A 2019 confidential presentation to council highlighted issues with the region's stadium stock, noting 'under-utilisation leading to poor financial outcomes'. Councillors were told 'doing nothing is not an option'. In 2023, when the council looked for expressions of interest to develop a new 'Main Auckland Stadium', they reiterated Dean's key point: 'Auckland neither needs nor can afford four stadiums.' We should learn from other cities. Warriors fans at Allianz stadium, where league, rugby and football teams all play. Photo / Photosport In Sydney (population 5.5m), Allianz Stadium is home to the Waratahs (rugby), Roosters (league) and Sydney FC (football). In Brisbane (population 2.8m), Suncorp Stadium hosts four professional sports team across rugby, league and football. In Melbourne (population 5.3m), impressively 10 AFL teams collectively use just two stadiums, the MCG and Marvel. These stadiums also host international matches, concerts and community events. Contrast this with Auckland (population just 1.7m) where, remarkably, we could have seen four professional sports teams across four disparate stadiums (Blues at Eden Park, Warriors at Mt Smart, Auckland FC at Western Springs and Moana Pasifika at Albany). How could any stadium (or business) be fully utilised or financially sustainable with just 13 regular season games (Auckland FC) annually – effectively guaranteed to be 'open for business' less than 4% of the year? These four stadiums also compete with each other for the small number of concerts that come to Auckland. Of course, the condition of the stadiums means many world-class performers simply bypass Auckland entirely, limiting Down Under tours to superior Australian venues. When artists such as Adele have to perform in torrential rain at Mt Smart, Taylor Swift's decision to skip Auckland in 2024 becomes entirely understandable. Adele soaks up the rain at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland. In the eight months since it was granted consent for 12 concerts a year, Eden Park has only hosted one artist, Luke Combs. For 2026, only the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo has been announced. The loss of major events costs Auckland money through the hospitality, accommodation, transport and retail sectors. The financial implications for ratepayers are stark. They face mounting maintenance and operational expenses, while construction costs for any new stadium escalate. Meanwhile, we're counting the lost revenue from those lost events. With Christchurch's world-class Te Kaha Stadium opening in 2026 and already revitalising the city, Auckland will become the only major Australasian city not to open a modern stadium this century. Te Kaha, in Christchurch, is due to open next year. Photo / Christchurch City Council The Long-Term Plan allocates $16b for water, $14.5b for transport, and $4.2b for community and parks. Yet while other cities have invested in this vital cultural infrastructure, Auckland remains held back by the legacy of four disparate, underutilised and ageing stadiums. Auckland generates ample content for a premier venue. Imagine a modern covered stadium hosting Taylor Swift, the Warriors, Blues, Auckland FC and Moana Pasifika, national teams in black, unlimited concerts and community festivals such as the Pasifika, Diwali or Lantern festivals. If situated on the waterfront, the venue could also host the prestigious sailing events that have made Auckland the renowned 'City of Sails'. Hiroki Sakai, Ardie Savea, Taylor Swift, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Michaela Brake The cultural and economic benefits to the city would be transformative. This vision is entirely achievable, as every other major city in Australasia has shown. It's time for Auckland to emulate Wellington, Dunedin and now Christchurch in charting a pathway which reflects a visionary and aspirational Auckland investing strategically for future generations. Rather than remaining constrained by legacy, shoestring maintenance, and decades of inaction, perhaps the rise of Christchurch's impressive Te Kaha Stadium can finally focus Auckland on the advice urged by experts for 15 years. We can emulate Wellington, Dunedin and now Christchurch in charting a pathway which reflects a visionary and aspirational Auckland investing strategically for future generations. Auckland neither needs nor can afford four stadiums... but surely it makes sense to have one great one. Richard Dellabarca was head of the Wynyard Point consortium which proposed a new stadium built on the Auckland waterfront.
RNZ News
11 hours ago
- RNZ News
NRL: NZ Warriors v Dolphins - what you need to know
Warriors v Dolphins Kickoff 8pm Friday, 1 August Go Media Stadium, Auckland Live blog updates on RNZ Sport The Warriors have already beaten their rivals once this season at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium. In the three years since the Dolphins entered the NRL, the Warriors have compiled a 3-2 winning record against the club that hosted their stay at Redcliffe during the Covid pandemic. For the first two years, those results went the ways of the home teams, but the Warriors broke that string, when they accounted for their rivals 16-12 at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium in May. On that occasion, the visitors led 16-0 with 10 minutes to go, but conceded two late tries and ultimately held on short-handed, after co-captain James Fisher-Harris was sin-binned. The Warriors' biggest win was 30-8 in their 2023 first encounter, when Shaun Johnson scored 18 points - two tries and five conversions - while the Dolphins prevailed 34-10 in the return game that season. Halves Te Maire Martin and Isaiya Katoa will square off in Warriors v Dolphins. Photo: Photosport Halves Te Maire Martin and Isaiya Katoa will square off in Warriors v Dolphins. The Warriors currently sit fourth on the NRL table with 12 wins and six losses, but seem to have hit the wall, with the playoffs in sight. Two weeks ago, they needed a last-gasp miracle try from teenage second-rower Leka Halasima to edge Newcastle Knights, who are currently tied for last in the competition, and then lost to Gold Coast Titans, who are also on the same points as cellar dwellers South Sydney. They have struggled for any kind of points-differential traction all season - it reached a high of just 36 after the Knights win, but is now at 28. Meanwhile, the Dolphins have been erratic all season, with big wins over contenders Penrith Panthers, Melbourne Storm and Canterbury Bulldogs, but defeats to the Rabbitohs, Knights (twice) and Wests Tigers among those scrambling to avoid the wooden spoon. They're coming off their third bye of the season - they are 1-1 after their previous two. They lost 24-12 to Cronulla Sharks three weeks ago, but subsequently beat North Queensland Cowboys 43-24. The Dolphins currently sit eighth on the table, with the same points as ninth-placed Manly Sea Eagles and two ahead of Sydney Roosters. Only competition leaders Canberra Raiders and third-placed Melbourne have scored more points this season, and only the Storm have a better points differential. Warriors: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3. Adam Pompey, 4 Kurt Capewell, 5. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 6. Te Maire Martin, 7. Tanah Boyd, 17. Tanner Stowers-Smith, 9. Sam Healey, 10. Jackson Ford, 11. Leka Halasima, 12. Marata Niukore, 13. Erin Clark Interchange: 14. Taine Tuaupiki, 15. Jacob Laban, 16. Freddy Lussick, 20. Bunty Afoa Reserves: 18. Eddie Ieremia-Toeava, 21, Ed Kosi Coach Andrew Webster was forced into change through injuries to co-captain James Fisher-Harris, five-eighth Chanel Harris-Tavita and hooker Wayde Egan - three core members of his team. Twenty-four hours out from kickoff, he had to make another, with Demitric Vaimauga - who had been promoted into the starting front row for Fisher-Harris - also withdrawing. Tanner Stowers-Smith gets the start at prop now, Te Maire Martin will partner Tanah Boyd in the halves and Sam Healey deputises for Egan for the second time this season. Tanner Stowers-Smith is a late inclusion in the starting line-up. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Despite the Warriors's rusty form, Webster made no changes on form and chose to keep stand-in captain Kurt Capewell at centre, rather than return him to the pack in Vaimauga's absence. Dolphins: 1. Hamiso Tabui-Fidow, 2. Jamayne Isaako, 3. Max Feagai, 4. Herbie Farnworth, 5. Jake Averillo, 6. Kodi Nikorima, 7. Isaiya Katoa, 8. Francis Molo, 9. Jeremy Marshall-King, 10. Felise Kaufusi, 11. Connelly Lemuelu, 12. Oryn Keeley, 13. Kurt Donoghue Interchange: 14. Ray Stone, 15. Aublix Tawha, 16. Mark Nicholls, 17. Josh Kerr Reserves: 18. Harrison Graham, 20. LJ Nonu Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf gets former Warrior half Kodi Nikorima back from a hamstring injury, along with veteran prop Felise Kaufusi and bench forward Mark Nicholls. Jake Averillo stepped in for Nikorima against the Cowboys, but will now return to wing. Prop Francis Molo will make his 150th NRL appearance, after previous stints with Brisbane Broncos, North Queensland and St George Illawarra Dragons. Fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow is one of the most dangerous attacking weapons in the NRL and is the competition's leading tryscorer with 17 from 15 appearances, but has only scored one in four previous games for the Dolphins against the Warriors. Winger Jamayne Isaako leads the competition in scoring, with nine tries among his 212 total points. He also leads in goals kicked (88) and has an 87 percent success rate for conversions. Warriors desperately need to restore some momentum to their season, but hard to see them overcoming this many injuries. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
Cool the jets: Warriors rule out imminent Cleary NRL debut
Warriors v Dolphins Kickoff 8pm Friday, 1 August Go Media Stadium, Auckland Live blog updates on RNZ Sport NZ Warriors coach Andrew Webster is desperate to turn down the volume on calls to hand Jett Cleary an NRL debut this season. As the season has progressed, injuries have taken a toll on the club's first-grade squad, which has had to dip deep into its reserves to cover key absences. Webster has lost starting halfback Luke Metcalf to a season-ending knee injury, while five-eighth Chanel Harris-Tavita will sit out this week's encounter with the Dolphins , nursing a calf niggle. These setbacks have co-incided with a spike in form from Cleary - youngest son of former Warriors coach, now Penrith Panthers mastermind Ivan and younger brother of Panthers superstar Nathan. All eyes are on Cleary, playing the first season of a three-year contract at Mt Smart, with many - especially across the Tasman - expecting him to force his way into first grade at any time. Webster insists that just isn't going to happen. "Jett's played five reserve grade games this season, but the last two weeks have been his best," he said. "He's had his best two weeks at training, but to be honest, Jett's a long way away. "We believe Jett will be first-grade player at our club, but we're not going to put pressure on him by throwing him in sooner. "If I answer that strongly, everyone hopefully will stop asking." Given his pedigree, Cleary's decision to join the Warriors attracted considerable attention, with the anticipation he would eventually follow his dad and brother into the NRL. Ivan Cleary played 53 games for the Warriors and coached them for six seasons, playing a part in both grand final appearances in the club's history. Jett Cleary scores a try for Warriors reserves against South Sydney. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Nathan Cleary was a Warriors ballboy as a kid, but has grown into one of the game's greatest-ever players, combining with his father to help the Panthers to four straight premierships. Jett Cleary, 20, has spent most of this season in the Warriors Jersey Flegg (U21) side, but with injuries higher up the depth chart, he has progressed into the reserves side, currently riding a 14-game winning streak in NSW Cup. Last week, he scored two tries and added two conversions, after taking over goalkicking duties from Taine Tuaupiki, in their 68-6 win over South Sydney Rabbitohs. That performance has tongues wagging about his inevitable promotion to the top level. Cleary began the season behind Metcalf, Harris-Tavita, Tanah Boyd, Te Maire Martin and Luke Hanson among the club's halves. Metcalf is gone for the season and the next three are now on first-grade duty - Martin primarily as a utility - while Hanson is also injured. "Everyone likes to put pressure on Jett for obvious reasons and we love him, he's going great, but he's got a lot to work on and he knows that," Webster emphasised. "He's had a terrific couple of weeks and he's building confidence, but you don't need to ask if he'll be playing seniors - we just wouldn't do that." With the injury toll mounting in first-grade, a depleted reserves side face a major challenge to their unbeaten run, when they visit Wollongong to face St George Illawarra Dragons in a top-of-the-table encounter on Saturday. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
