That proclamation from National Rugby League chief executive David Moffett followed news that tomorrow's Bulldogs-Warriors match at Wellington's Westpac Trust Stadium is on target to draw the season's biggest crowd for a single game. Despite the collapse of clubs in Perth, Adelaide and the Gold Coast and the Super League war, the sport's Australasian competition still seems to be a drawcard outside its borders. People will come out to see the best of something and we certainly have the best competition of its type in the world. Initially, the Bulldogs said they would have been happy with a crowd bigger than 10,000. Brisbane have transferred their round-19 match against the Warriors to Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast, the former home of the Chargers.
Officials expect some resistance.
Perth fans stayed away from the Melbourne-Western Suburbs match there in 1998 as a protest against the axing of the Reds. If a club comes to us with a proposal to take a game to places like Perth or Adelaide, we will support them. The councils in both those cities are very keen to get rugby league back. Bulldogs marketing staff have visited Wellington for several months and sent Ricky Stuart, Paul Rauhihi and Willie Mason on a media tour last week. They don't see much of the Warriors in Wellington.