Warriors v Broncos: NRL fans warned a week out - get to McLean Park early

McLean Park in Napier in 2015 when over 14,000 rugby league fans watched the NRL game between Melbourne Storm and St George Illlawarra Dragons. More than 15,000 are expected to pack the park on May 27 for the match between New Zealand hope the Warriors and the Brisbane Broncos. Photo / NZME

NRL fans are already being told to make plans now to get to the park early for next week’s match between the Warriors and championship high-flyer the Brisbane Broncos in Napier.

A capacity crowd of over 15,000 is expected for the May 27 league match at McLean Park, the biggest for any sports event in Hawke’s Bay since the All Blacks played a rugby test against Argentina at the park in 2014. Extra seating was installed, including on the embankment, and the crowd was officially recorded as 21,329.

A year later, the attendance at an NRL match between Melbourne Storm and St George Illawarra Dragons at McLean Park was credited with an official match attendance of 14,532.

Napier City Council events manager Kevin Murphy says the size of the crowd poses a problem, in that Hawke’s Bay is not used to such crowds and he’s calling on fans to avoid congestion at the gates and to get there early.

The gates will open at 6pm on Saturday, with 90 minutes of pre-match entertainment before the 7.30pm kick-off in a match that will be televised live across Australasia, and, via streaming services, to a global audience.

Murphy says the high level of interest has been shown by the selling-out of the venue, and the council and the teams would hate to think people would not be able to see the full game because of delays in the queues.

He says the council expects big crowds through the No 1 gate off Latham St, but wants to avoid the congestion.

Both teams are expecting to be in Hawke’s Bay for more than two days before the match and will be involved in a range of build-up events. Both are expected to have large numbers of supporters.

The Broncos have become one of the NRL’s most popular clubs, having five times this season played in front of crowds exceeding 40,000 - and twice of more than 50,000 - and have won the grand final six times, more than any other club since the maroons were admitted to the competition in 1988, as the first club from outside New South Wales.

The wins were in 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2000, and 2006, featuring some of the NRL’s biggest names, including Wally Lewis.

The club has chartered an aircraft that will land at Hawke’s Bay Airport on Wednesday at 7.40pm, with the team and supporters.

Events and activities for next Thursday-Saturday preceding the game were still being finalised, but they do include the Warriors’ “open” training session at McLean Park next Friday, from 9.30am to 11.30am, including autograph signing from 10.45am.