Vodafone Warriors fans in Northland finally have the chance to see their sporting heroes in the flesh in Whangarei when they play top Queensland Cup side Burleigh Bears in a pre-NRL season match at Toll Stadium on Saturday.
It will be the Warriors' third clash in a long build-up towards their
first 2011 NRL season game against Parramatta Eels on March 12.
It is also the first time the only New Zealand-based NRL team has played in Whangarei since the Warriors were established in 1995.
For the past two years the Warriors have played pre-season games at North Harbour Stadium and many Northlanders have made the trip south for those games, but the chance to promote rugby league at this level in Northland was a huge bonus, Whangarei City and Districts Rugby League secretary Sharon Bird said.
The Northland rugby league administrative stalwart said she was delighted the Warriors had secured the fixture at Toll Stadium and hoped the region's fans would be out in force to support the game.
The Ivan Cleary-coached Warriors played their first pre-season clash against the Newcastle Knights at Greymouth's Wingham Park on February 5 in an effort to spread interest around the country.
The Warriors drew 22-22 in front of the 6500 crowd.
Last Saturday, in front of an impressive 10,000 spectators, they faced the Eels at Rotorua's International Stadium and rolled their first opponents in the 2011 NRL season, 24-4.
The Warriors hope they can continue to gain momentum for the looming NRL season with success in Saturday's match against the Burleigh Bears.
However, the Bears are no easy beats. They are a feeder club to the Gold Coast Titans in the NRL and have a steep history in the Queensland Cup, having won two premierships in 1999 and 2004. They have been dominant in the competition since the inception of the cup in 1997. The side has produced many NRL players including current internationals Sam Perret (New Zealand) and Darius Boyd (Australia).
The game kicks off at 5pm at Toll Stadium. The Vodafone Junior Warriors will line up against 2010 Fox Memorial Premiers the Otahuhu Leopards at 3pm.
- Tickets available from www.ticketdirect.co.nz or 0800 4 TICKET and Toll Stadium.
