Bondi Cannon

I'm sure he could be persuaded to make it bigger. Also that 22k figure was bolstered by a lot of $5 and $10 ticket offers. Probably more value in being the hot ticket in town and selling out at $40 a ticket every week.

there is a possible upside in all this for league.. the billionaire behind it is promising to build a city centre waterfront stadium, which a lot of people here want. If its an 18-20k capacity ground he'll need a second sport there... the Warriors would be ideal. Mt Smart is pretty rundown and out in an industrial suburb - no bars or restaurants nearby.

there's a big issue with fields for all sports here in auckland atm - the FIFA world cup has claimed a lot of grounds, plus we are at 100% of annual rainfall for the year here already - so i know ARL has had difficulty securing fields for these games. Auckland has suffered a year on year decline in the quality of football, but consider that we usually have a net export of 400 players a year to Australia...

I know it's dangerous to comment on something you've not listened to, but if someone is going on a podcast to tell you RL in NZ is in a healthy state then they're lying to you. As someone with no agenda (bar a love of the game), i can tell you its in a fairly average state. West Coast comp dead bar kids' footy; Wellington down to a handful of senior teams; several provinces now having to play short six-week seasons outside RU season to get any games on (Taranaki, Manawatu, HB, Aoraki etc); the game in recess again in Tasman; Auckland senior club numbers in a huge decline (only the growth in the girls' game is masking this); almost no football between under-16 and under-18 so that the Warriors actually actively steer their teenagers to play first XV schools rugby... I could go on. The game isn't dead, but its in a significantly worse state than it was ten years ago.

Happy to answer any questions about Auckland league… in terms of the final Pt Chev will be favourites, spend a lot of money and always thereabouts, usually have a heap of ex Warriors lower graders. Northcote should win the second tier final. Kevin Locke is back playing for them.

I refereed a game once here in NZ where a guy who was clearly on something began stalking up and down the sideline behind my touch judge threatening him. I stopped the game, went and sat down and told them it wouldn’t restart until he went. Two quite large blokes picked him up, one under each arm and disappeared into the distance. He did not return and we played on.

Ex-ref here. OP is right. I reffed in the UK for a long time. No one teaches you ‘how’ to blow your whistle or care. Came to NZ, and so into the Australian NRL system, and it was consistently the big thing I was picked up on, and had to eventually learn (quite hard after that many years) - different tones for different things. Takes some practice to get it right.

Martin Dean, I think if it is the same guy, refereed for some years in the London Society, now the Southern Referees Society. You could contact Alan Smith or Allan Steven down there and I reckon they could find him for you. Or try an old Barla handbook ie about 8-10 yrs ago which listed referees contact details.