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Carlaw Park

K

Knight87

Juniors
Messages
2,181
What has happened to Carlaw Park? Why doesn't it host rugby league matches anymore? Did anyone ever attend any matches there (what was the ground like, in comparison to the likes of Mount Smart Stadium)?
 
Bobby DIGital

Bobby DIGital

Coach
Messages
12,714
Never attended a game there, but went out of my way on a road trip in 2001 to go and look at the ol park. You could smell the nostalgia.
 
C

colonel_123

Juniors
Messages
1,089
J T said:
What has happened to Carlaw Park? Why doesn't it host rugby league matches anymore? Did anyone ever attend any matches there (what was the ground like, in comparison to the likes of Mount Smart Stadium)?
Click to expand...

This ought to give you a fair indication of why it doesn't host any matches anymore:

IMG_0467.jpg


IMG_0412.jpg


IMG_0407.jpg


More photos: http://www.austadiums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2692

The whole ground is being demolished and the land sold off for housing. (A nice little money spinner for NZRL which now has the use of Mt Smart.
 
K

Knight87

Juniors
Messages
2,181
my goodness! How did so much graffiti get on the ground? Why was the ground allowed to end up in such a dilapidated state like that?
 
N

nadera78

Juniors
Messages
2,233
It hasn't been used as a football stadium for years now, just as a car park instead, so vandals have had free access to roam around and cmash it up. When the Warriors chose to play at Mt Smart government funding went there instead of to Carlaw Park. It's being redeveloped, although I think the ARL will still own the freehold to the site.

Shame really, if gov't funding had gone there instead of Mt Smart then the ARL would now own a top class stadium in a downtown location.
 
K

Knight87

Juniors
Messages
2,181
I'm not too familiar with the city of Auckland, but where are the following stadiums located, in relation to good public transport and distance from the CBD:

Mt Smart Stadium, Eden Park, Carlaw Park and North Harbour Stadium

Those are/were the 4 major football grounds in the Auckland metropolitan area
 
Dr Crane

Dr Crane

Live Update Team
Messages
19,531
The wooden stand was pulled down days after i took those photos. In fact i'd been down there the day before and the sheet metal in front of the stand was still on the roof at the time.

The concrete stand had just recently been finished being torn down.


North Harbour Stadium is 20kms north of Auckland city. Eden Park is about 4kms away but with bugger all transport. Mt Smart is 10kms from Auckland city in an industrial area while Carlaw Park is right in town, maybe 15 minutes walk from the major bus stop in Auckland.

The lack of public transport is more to blame than the stadiums locations.
 
Dragon_psa

Dragon_psa

First Grade
Messages
7,058
In my 1st year as a ref I attended the last games played at Carlaw in 2002. The Fox Memorial GF (Won by Hibiscus Coast Raiders 44-40 over Otahuhu Leopards in the best game of footy I've ever seen. Otahuhu got an 8 point try just before halftime, it was 30 all at full time and 40 all after extra time and went to golden point.) and the Bartercard Cup GF (Mt Albert beat Hibiscus coast 24-20 from memory, but I missed most of that game as I was under the main stand on the piss with the match officials from the Fox game). The ground was excellent for watching footy, as the front row of each stand was about 3 or 4 m from the sideline, so you were real close to the action. I'm pretty sure they are building a retirement village on the site. From memory the reason they didn't redevelop the ground was to do with the lack of car parking for big games, and with the shambles that is Aucklands transport system it made it logistically difficult to host big games. It's a crying shame.
 
Skinner

Skinner

Coach
Messages
13,581
Dragon_psa said:
In my 1st year as a ref I attended the last games played at Carlaw in 2002. The Fox Memorial GF (Won by Hibiscus Coast Raiders 44-40 over Otahuhu Leopards in the best game of footy I've ever seen. Otahuhu got an 8 point try just before halftime, it was 30 all at full time and 40 all after extra time and went to golden point.) and the Bartercard Cup GF (Mt Albert beat Hibiscus coast 24-20 from memory, but I missed most of that game as I was under the main stand on the piss with the match officials from the Fox game). The ground was excellent for watching footy, as the front row of each stand was about 3 or 4 m from the sideline, so you were real close to the action. I'm pretty sure they are building a retirement village on the site. From memory the reason they didn't redevelop the ground was to do with the lack of car parking for big games, and with the shambles that is Aucklands transport system it made it logistically difficult to host big games. It's a crying shame.
Click to expand...

That was a good day at the Old Lady Dragon_psa.
 
Dragon_psa

Dragon_psa

First Grade
Messages
7,058
Skinner said:
That was a good day at the Old Lady Dragon_psa.
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It was mate. During the Fox match I was wired up to the ref (Craig Pascoe, who was my reffing mentor that season) and the touchies (Artie Clarke and Shane Herbert) and I was giving running commentary to the bulk of the Auckland RL Refs Association seated in the main stand around me. Then off down to the Strand tavern around the corner for a beer or 10. A day I'll cherish for a long time to come.
 
Skinner

Skinner

Coach
Messages
13,581
Dragon_psa said:
It was mate. During the Fox match I was wired up to the ref (Craig Pascoe, who was my reffing mentor that season) and the touchies (Artie Clarke and Shane Herbert) and I was giving running commentary to the bulk of the Auckland RL Refs Association seated in the main stand around me. Then off down to the Strand tavern around the corner for a beer or 10. A day I'll cherish for a long time to come.
Click to expand...

LOL, I see that Shane made a come back to senior footy the other week at Mt Smart.
 
Dragon_psa

Dragon_psa

First Grade
Messages
7,058
Did he? I've been out of the loop for 3 years or so now, so I wasn't aware that he had gone in the first place. How did he go?
 
Skinner

Skinner

Coach
Messages
13,581
Dragon_psa said:
Did he? I've been out of the loop for 3 years or so now, so I wasn't aware that he had gone in the first place. How did he go?
Click to expand...

He was an in-goal touchie so no dramas. He's only done junior footy for the last
few years....I think the politics got to him LOL.
 
Dragon_psa

Dragon_psa

First Grade
Messages
7,058
The politics - I can see how they would have got to him. I always thought he was quite a competent ref, not far behind Craig Pascoe.
 
Skinner

Skinner

Coach
Messages
13,581
Dragon_psa said:
The politics - I can see how they would have got to him. I always thought he was quite a competent ref, not far behind Craig Pascoe.
Click to expand...

He was definitely one of the better ones, and a really nice guy.
 
M

mean_maori_mean

Juniors
Messages
2,251
Good ol Carlaw Park - a second home.

Especially remember as young fella 90/91/92 - Kiwi vs GB and the mighty leopards winning with a team including Richie Barnett, Blackmore, Nikau, Dean Clarke, Leota, plus other kiwi and auckland reps - quite a ledge team.

Playing league on the hill - both ruthless and dangerous

Think we got a bench from the old stand.
 
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