NRL: Club's boss says Albany plan 'stupid'

The QBE stadium in Albany. Photo / Getty Images

The Warriors will take their games to Wellington and elsewhere around New Zealand rather than Albany's QBE Stadium, says club chairman Bill Wavish.

Wavish reiterated the Warriors' opposition to the Auckland Council-run Regional Facilities Auckland's (RFA) proposed stadium strategy, up for public consideration as part of the council's draft annual plan, which suggests the NRL club relocate from Mt Smart Stadium in Penrose, once its lease expires in 2018, to an upgraded QBE Stadium.

The plan suggests Eden Park could be used by the Warriors for bigger fixtures, while Mt Smart could become the new home for speedway, with cricket shifting from Eden Park to a vacant Western Springs.

Wavish slammed the RFA for its handling of negotiations and said the Warriors could withdraw their support for the NRL Auckland Nines if they were forced to move.

"We'll go to Wellington before Albany. Definitely. No question. And we'll take the others outside Auckland," Wavish declared.

"I'm getting increasingly frustrated with the stupidity of RFA. It's very difficult to deal with.

"If you look at the economic benefit to Auckland, rugby league is well ahead of rugby union, cricket and the speedway, even before you count the Nines in.

"And as Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (Ateed) is well aware, if they keep treating us like a pariah, there's no way the Nines is going to stay here."

Wavish rubbished RFA's ideas for a stadium rejig, saying Warriors supporters would not follow them across to the North Shore, and insisted Eden Park was unsuited to hosting Warriors games.

"Our fans won't go there [Albany], it's as simple as that," he said. "Some of it is physical, the traffic is difficult, it's a long way. But some of it is mental, just crossing the harbour bridge is like going overseas.

"Mt Smart's capacity is 25,000. Our typical crowd is, say, 15,000-16,000, which looks good. But 46,000 capacity at Eden Park and we just rattle around. You're further away from the ground, it's not the right feel for it and it's frankly not intimidating for the opposition."

Wavish spoke passionately to Warriors' supporters at Mt Smart Stadium last Sunday, urging them to lobby Auckland Council and have their concerns heard.

Warriors coach Andrew McFadden supported Wavish's stance: "This is our home and I don't see why we should be moving."