Napier keen to host NRL matches

The Virgin Boeing 737-300 attracted a crowd yesterday.

The Napier City Council seems likely to be involved in bringing more major events to Hawke's Bay after the success of Saturday night's NRL match, which attracted a record Bay rugby league crowd of 14,532.

It could include another Melbourne Storm visit, says Storm chairman and Australia-based New Zealander Bart Campbell.

"If we're bring another game back to New Zealand, Napier would be at the top of the list. It's been a fantastic experience and we've all had a fantastic time," he said yesterday.

"Napier was a great host city," he said. "It exceeded all of our expectations. If the question is would we do it all again, the answer, unequivocally, is yes."

It is, however, also a question of time frames, Mr Campbell noting it was - "after all" - the first time the Storm had taken one of its "home" matches out of Melbourne in the 17-year history of the club.

One of the first tasks for the club is to consult its members, many of whom expressed concerns that they were losing a match from the home schedule at AAMI Park, which last year had an average NRL crowd of 14,894.

The Napier City Council also has to assess outcomes of its first venture into staging such events.

Council CEO Wayne Jack, who approached the Melbourne Storm last year after hearing of their interest in possibly moving their home match against St George Illawarra Dragons to avoid a clash with soccer matches involving some of the World's greatest football clubs, said the Council had hoped for a crowd of 12-13,000.

Mr Jack confirmed the Council paid Melbourne a fee to get the match in Napier, but details on the financial outcomes aren't yet known. He reiterated, however, that the benefits to Hawke's Bay went well beyond the balancing of the books, from exposure of the facilities available to the social outcomes from sports superstars visiting schools.

"All councils are involved in this sort of activity," he said, when asked about the council having taken on the role of sports event promoter. "Auckland does it, through a company. The question is if the council is not going to do it, who else is going to do it?"

Mr Campbell highlighted spinoff benefits, revealing the club hosted leading executives of its major sponsors, including Hostplus, the Australian hospitality, tourism, recreation and sport industries superannuation fund which has investments of over A$20 billion. Top executives also came from Crown Resorts, Channel 9 Victoria and other major supporters.

They stayed at Black Barn, and played golf yesterday at Cape Kidnappers, but Mr Campbell, said the whole contingent of more than 150 players, management and supporters were overwhelmed by their experiences in Hawke's Bay, including the special moment of marae welcome on Saturday morning at Waipatu, Hastings, the home of Storm player Tohu Harris.

Napier Mayor Bill Dalton, son of an All Black and more used to watching rugby union matches at the home of the Ranfurly Shield, was well and truly caught up in the euphoria as he watched the match with Mr Campbell, new club boss Dave Donaghy and other "special" guests.

"We were the events' capital of Hawke's Bay," he said a few minutes before fulltime. "Now we're the events' capital of New Zealand."

Farewell to a flight so fancy

The departure of most of the Melbourne contingent early yesterday afternoon attracted extra interest as people gathered to watch the rare Napier takeoff of a Boeing 737-300.
The chartered Virgin Australia aircraft had been at Hawke's Bay Airport since its arrival with the team, sponsors and supporters from Melbourne, via Wellington, on Thursday.

More then 20 cars were parked beside State Highway 2 near the northern end of the runway as drivers and passengers watched the aircraft soar into the sky just after 12.40pm.

There have been few Boeing flights in and out of Napier since Air New Zealand ran a scheduled passenger service from 1990-1993.