Warriors' fans will have to make do with Heineken beer instead of their team's official brew, Lion Red, at the NRL grand final fan zone on Captain Cook Wharf tomorrow.
The wharf is part of the Rugby World Cup fan zone, which gives Heineken exclusive pouring rights under its sponsorshipdeal for the tournament. Fans with a taste for Lion Red will have to go to the main fan zone at Mt Smart Stadium, which is screening all three finals. Rugby World Cup organisers have a liquor licence at Captain Cook Wharf and will have two outlets in converted containers to serve alcohol.
There will be about 10 food outlets, 100 Portaloos and fencing to ensure public safety on the wharf.
The wharf will open about 2pm to screen the All Blacks match against Canada at 3.30pm. Once the match is over, Rugby World Cup branding will be removed and the wharf will become a rugby league venue, showing the grand final on two large screens at 7.15pm.
Alcohol will be served at Mt Smart Stadium from 4pm.
The gates open at 1.45pm for the NSW Cup grand final between the Auckland Vulcans and the Canterbury Bulldogs at 2pm, followed by the Toyota Cup grand final between the Vodafone Junior Warriors and the North Queensland Cowboys at 4pm - the curtain raiser to the Telstra Premiership grand final.
Late yesterday, 20,000 of the 23,000 free tickets for what Mayor Len Brown has dubbed "League Heaven" had been snapped up.
