The 2023 season marked only the ninth time that the New Zealand Warriors have reached the National Rugby League (NRL) finals in almost 30 years of competing in the competition. After finishing in fourth place in the NRL table (ladder), the Auckland-based side faced – and lost to – the Penrith Panthers in the first week of the finals. A dominant victory against the Newcastle Knights in the semifinals, however, secured the team a preliminary finals berth. Just as the Warriors had brushed aside the Knights the week before, though, so too were they brushed aside by the Brisbane Broncos, who ran out 42-12 winners in Queensland. This ended the Warriors fans’ hopes of reaching only a third grand final in the club’s history.
Ahead of the 2024 campaign, the team has welcomed players Chanel Harris-Tavita and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck back to the fold, after a gap year and 2 years spent playing rugby union respectively. Meanwhile players such as Josh Curran and Bailey Sironen have found pastures new, moving to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Super League’s Catalans Dragons respectively. With much of its 2023 squad intact, however, the Warriors will be looking to build on a strong showing in the last campaign – can the team reach the grand final in 2024?
2024 Squad
At time of writing the New Zealand Warriors squad is as follows, although further changes may be made before the start of the season.
Head Coach
Andrew Webster (AUS)
Backs
Sanele Aukusitino (NZ)
Rocco Berry (NZ)
Ben Farr (AUS)
Chanel Harris-Tavita (SAM)
Shaun Johnson (NZ)
Edward Kosi (NZ)
Ali Leiataua (NZ)
Te Maire Martin (NZ)
Luke Metcalf (AUS)
Patrick Moimoi (NZ)
Marcelo Montoya (FIJ)
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (CK/ NZ)
Adam Pompey (NZ)
Taine Tuaupiki (NZ)
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (NZ)
Ronald Volkman (AUS)
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (NZ)
Forwards
Bunty Afoa (SAM)
Tom Ale (NZ)
Mitchell Barnett (AUS)
Wayde Egan (AUS) “VC”
Addin Fonua-Blake (NZ/TON)
Jackson Ford (AUS)
Etuate Fukofuka (NZ)
Leka Halasima (NZ)
Tohu Harris (NZ) “C”
Jacob Laban (SAM/NZ)
Freddy Lussick (AUS)
Zyon Maiu’u (NZ)
Marata Niukore (CK/NZ)
Demitric Sifakula (NZ)
Tanner Stowers-Smith (NZ)
Jazz Tevaga (SAM)
Dylan Walker (AUS)
C = Captain / VC = Vice-Captain
2024 Schedule
Over the course of the 2024 regular season, the New Zealand Warriors will, like all NRL sides, play 24 matches; 12 of these will be played at home, mostly at the Go Media Stadium Mount Smart in Auckland, and the other 12 will be played away from home. The Warriors will go up against 8 of the NRL’s 16 other teams on 2 occasions (once at home, once away), and will play against the other 8 teams once only (a mixture of home and away games). The first Warriors game of the 2024 season will be against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks on 8 March, at Go Media Stadium Mount Smart. The club’s regular season will end on 31 August, with an away game against the Sharks at the PointsBet Stadium.
You can find the full New Zealand Warriors 2024 schedule here.
2024 Rivals
During the 2024 NRL regular season, the New Zealand Warriors will play against all 16 of the NRL’s other clubs: the Brisbane Broncos, Canberra Raiders, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, Dolphins, Gold Coast Titans, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, Melbourne Storm, Newcastle Knights, North Queensland Cowboys Parramatta Eels, Penrith Panthers, South Sydney Rabbitohs, St. George Illawarra Dragons, Sydney Roosters, and the Wests Tigers.
The New Zealand Warriors, due to being the only New Zealand-based side in the NRL, does not share a major local rivalry with any other NRL team. Furthermore, whilst the club has been in the NRL for almost 30 years, it has not competed with any one side enough times in the finals to foster a notable competitive rivalry. Warriors fans however may be looking forward to matches against the Brisbane Broncos in 2024: the Queensland side knocked the Warriors out of the finals in 2023, and so the Warriors will be looking for revenge. The Warriors and Broncos will meet once during the regular season:
The clubs may also meet in the finals again, if they both qualify.
2024 NRL Finals
The teams ranked 1-8 in the table (ladder) at the end of the regular season qualify for the NRL finals. Sides can be eliminated from the finals after 1 or 2 losses, depending on where in the table they finished. After 3 weeks of matches, only 2 teams remain, and these teams contest the NRL Grand Final. The 2024 qualifying and elimination finals matches are expected to start on the weekend of 14 September. The semifinals will take place the weekend after, and the preliminary finals will be played the weekend after that. The 2024 NRL Grand Final is expected to take place on Sunday 6 October, however the date will be officially confirmed closer to the time.
In 2023 the New Zealand Warriors qualified for the NRL finals in 2023 by finishing in fourth place in the regular season table. The Warriors therefore came up against the Penrith Panthers, who had finished first, in the first qualifying final. The Panthers won 32-6, meaning the Warriors were required to beat the Newcastle Knights in the semifinals to advance to the preliminary finals, which they duly did, winning 40-10. In the preliminary finals, however, the Brisbane Broncos ended the Auckland club’s grand final hopes, winning by a convincing 30-point margin, 42-12. The Warriors last appeared in a grand final in 2011; the club has never won an NRL premiership.
2024 Tickets & Prices
The New Zealand Warriors play most home matches at Go Media Stadium Mount Smart in Auckland, which has a maximum capacity of 30,000. During the 2023 NRL season, the club recorded an average home match attendance of just over 21,000 spectators. The price of tickets for Warriors home games can vary depending on factors such as the strength or prestige of the visiting team, whether the game is a regular season fixture or finals match, and where in the stadium the ticket provides access to. Adult home match tickets during the 2023 NRL season started from approximately NZD $15-20, and the average adult ticket at a Warriors home game cost in the region of NZD $25-35. Premium tickets and hospitality packages cost considerably more: between NZD $80 and NZD $270.
Standard Tickets
During the 2023 NRL season, standard match tickets for Warriors games at Go Media Stadium Mount Smart were sold in the following categories:
- South Stand – unreserved seating behind the posts; typically the most affordable tickets on offer at Warriors home games
- East Stand – reserved seating along the sideline
- West Stand – reserved seating along the sideline
Premium, VIP, & Hospitality Tickets
Premium tickets and VIP hospitality packages are generally available to reserve via enquiry. Packages available during the 2023 season included:
- Club Lounge – premium match seating, reserved seat within the Lounge, and premium food and drink offerings
- Private Suite – use of a West Stand private suite overlooking the pitch, with food and drink options available
- Open Air Box – private, 10-person stadium box with premium views, and food and drink served directly to your seats
- Stacey Jones Lounge – reserved West Stand seating and access to the Lounge and its private bar
How to get Cheap Tickets
One way to get cheap tickets to a New Zealand Warriors match is to attend a match against a less decorated or famous team; matches against the most high-profile sides typically command higher ticket prices. Another way to get tickets which are more affordable is to choose to sit behind the posts: tickets for South Stand seats, which are located behind the posts, are generally more affordable than tickets for the East and West Stands, which extend along the sidelines. Premium tickets and hospitality packages will also cost more than standard tickets, so avoid buying these types of tickets if you wish to get cheaper tickets. Koobit compares the price of NRL tickets from official and secondary sellers, so that you can find your perfect Warriors ticket at the cheapest price possible.
Where to Buy Tickets
New Zealand Warriors home match tickets can be purchased online. Tickets for some fixtures may be available to buy in-person at a stadium ticket office, but buying online is the most convenient means of securing a seat: purchasing tickets online allows fans to access ticket sales as soon as they open, and quickly and easily compare prices from across the stadium and from different sellers. Waiting to buy tickets at the stadium may mean there is less choice available, and tickets may even be sold out. Tickets purchased online can be downloaded onto a mobile device and then presented digitally upon entry.
How to Get to a Game
The Warriors host most home games at Go Media Stadium Mount Smart in Auckland. The stadium is located close to the centre of the city and as such can be reached by public transport and on foot or by bike from nearby suburbs. Drivers cannot park at the stadium on match days, but car parking is available nearby. For more information visit the Go Media Stadium Mount Smart page or see an individual match page for specific travel and parking details.
For more information about the New Zealand Warriors, including ticket prices, click here.
