Mt Smart to be shared with Blues ?

[Penrose Warrior]

That sounds like something you'd hear about in Africa or South America, where corruption is just 'the way they do things'.

I think we'd all be surprised with how much corruption, potentially not as flagrant as the instances you mention there, but certainly illegal that go on in Western society.

I just read an absolutely brilliantly written, and quite honestly frightening, book about Alan Joyce at Qantas (The Chairman's Lounge). Read that and tell me corruption only lives elsewhere

 

[Penrose Warrior]

I specifically recall an 'indoor, space-age stadium' in South Auckland being part of the Warriors earliest plans for entry into the NSWRL. Then the main guy behind the stadium went broke. It was planned for Manukau and was a tremendous concept.

Despite this failure (and by the time the official bid went through it wasn't part of it) I believe the Warriors always wanted to be based in South Auckland. Mt Smart was ideal, as it had a lot of government money spent on it for the highly successful 1990 Commonwealth Games.

Far out man, the characters we have had involved with our club off the field. Graham Lowe, Tainui (Jeff Green and co), that random childcare dude who was going to buy us a few years ago, Eric Watson, Mick Watson, Owen Glenn, Ian Robson, Mark Robinson, the ARL, I'm sure I'm missing a few. Really needs someone with the ability to write a great book on it all. Beleagured by Chris Mirams wasn't bad.

I would hate to see us based anywhere but South Auckland. Our South Auckland roots make us who we are. That's our rugby league heartland, where our most loyal fans reside, where the game's beating heart is. You lose so much by going to Eden Park.

 

[Blair]

Far out man, the characters we have had involved with our club off the field. Graham Lowe, Tainui (Jeff Green and co), that random childcare dude who was going to buy us a few years ago, Eric Watson, Mick Watson, Owen Glenn, Ian Robson, Mark Robinson, the ARL, I'm sure I'm missing a few. Really needs someone with the ability to write a great book on it all. Beleagured by Chris Mirams wasn't bad.

I would hate to see us based anywhere but South Auckland. Our South Auckland roots make us who we are. That's our rugby league heartland, where our most loyal fans reside, where the game's beating heart is. You lose so much by going to Eden Park.

When you look at the Warriors it can resemble a chaotic maelstrom of incompetent and self-serving, and ultimately, destructive, business practices.

Where we are now seems a really good spot.

Oh, and for that future book. I last met my (second) uncle Bernie Wood at my sister's wedding in October '94. I naturally asked him about the 'space-age stadium' and he said the guy behind it is 'in jail'! Bernie hated the Warriors at the start (He was a Wellington guy, an NZRL guy, and saw an Auckland-based side as a threat, I suppose).

That stadium proposal died in about '92, just before our bid was finalised. Thank God it wasn't part of our final/official bid.

Here's another little piece of early history. When PM Keating visited NZ in '93, our PM Bolger presented him with a Warriors jersey with 'Keating 1' on the back. It was, of course, a Lenco or CCC classic.

What Paul Keating did with this, who knows. He wasn't a sports fan (I did say to him, 'Go the Bulldogs!' and he replied 'no worries!' - I worked in parliament at the time). He probably passed it on to one of his staffers, and it's probably long gone.

But, there's an extremely small chance Keating's a hoarder. He might have it, long stored away somewhere. It should be hanging at Warriors HQ. I'm writing to him on the off chance he still has it! I've been meaning to do this for years.

 

[RHYTHM AND STEALTH]

It's gotta be done. This team, our team, is going to be here for the rest of our lives. In 10 years, 20 years, Mt Smart will be so far beyond suitable it's nuts. So when is the time to do it? Now. It's got a lot in its favour now, the atmosphere is great, it just needs to be brought into the 21st century and at SOME STAGE the Council is actually going to have to spend some money. God, we keep getting the same crap with stadiums. It's like me with my kids - 'Dad can we have burgers'...'no we have burgers at home' then I give them the same boring rubbish burgers we make every Friday.

Im guessing a sticking point to this is where would the team be based while the renovations take place and for how long

 

[Penrose Warrior]

Im guessing a sticking point to this is where would the team be based while the renovations take place and for how long

Yeah I'm sure that's part of it, I guess now that Auckland FC are involved it's a double-edged sword - they have a big supporter base, and billionaire owners, and will demand the best facilities...now Western Springs ain't happening, surely a Mt Smart upgrade has to? But yeah, if you need to take it out for a year, two teams go without.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Im guessing a sticking point to this is where would the team be based while the renovations take place and for how long

I don’t think moving would be necessary. Do it the same way they did the eastern stand, in stages in the off seasons. Build the lower tier of a permanent south stand one summer, and add the roof/upper part the next off season. Any works at the northern end could be done as a separate project at the same time.

the only time I see them needing to relocate us is if they did a knockdown and rebuild of the Colin Maiden stand and unless it’s deemed structurally unsound I dont see that happening.

in our favour if Eden Park is remaining as the big venue no doubt it’s going to require closing for a major rebuild at some point and that probably means Mt Smart needs to be fit for purpose to stand in for it when that happens which is further justification to throw some upgrades our way.