The St George / Illawarra Dragons beat the warriors 36 - 30 in a preseason match in Hamilton. The warriors had made a positive start to the game scoring the first tri but soon the Dragons dug in an lead 18 - 6 by half time.

During the second saw a warriors resurgence, that culminated in a 30 - 30 score line, but the Dragons ultimately finished with a 6 point buffer.

One of the positives to come from this match are the fact that most of the side were inexperienced rookies. Head coach Daniel Anderson undoubtedly wanted the new guys to gain some NRL experience at a time that premiership points weren't up for grabs. This is a strategy employed by many coaches during the preseason match-ups. The possible exception to the usual preseason blooding of new players is the last preseason game, which is when the core team take the field to work on player combinations, ball handling skills and the all important defence.

The night was a great one for Rugby League on the whole as a record crowds of around 25,000 paid to come and see the warriors play. There was an excitement in the air as the strong Waikato support base relished the opportunity to see their hero's play.

The sold out stadium should send a strong hint to those Australian teams contemplating alternative home game venues for financial reasons that Hamilton is a very real option. Hamilton showed it has an untapped league support base with a thirst for NRL matches. The Bulldogs have already proven (by their home games in Wellington) that having an alternative home game in New Zealand can reap financial rewards.

Posted 6th February, 2004

Waikato Stadium

Image obtained from www.waikatostadium.co.nz