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	Enjoy the calm before the Storm	223 weeks ago
	The Hamilton City Council is confident next Thursday's New Zealand Warriors-Melbourne Storm rugby league clash will be a financial success. It says that because neither team is being paid an appearance fee the city will break even if it sells 8000 tickets. By yesterday it was half-way there. The council is banking on Waikato's league fans coming out in force for the pre-season game at Waikato Stadium. "We will be really disappointed if this doesn't break even," council communications manager Philip Burton said. "Trading on the success of the Warriors last year, the Kiwis winning the Rugby League World Cup, and the return of Stacey Jones, this thing should have a fair bit of momentum." He said a pre-season rugby league clash in 2004, in which the Warriors played the St George Illawarra Dragons, was "highly successful" but two further games had ended up costing the council. The match on Thursday will be the Warriors' first of 2009, and their fourth game in Hamilton since 2004. The last time the Warriors took the central sporting stage in the city, in an NRL match against the Parramatta Eels in 2006, low crowd numbers cost the city more than $144,000. In 2005, an NRL game against the Eels cost the council a further $61,000. Despite this, Hamilton City Council events and facilities manager Mark Christie is hopeful Hamiltonians will get behind the match. He said Hamilton beat competition from Christchurch and Wellington to host the game, and he expects a crowd of between 10,000 and 12,000 to attend it. About 22,000 people turned out for the Warriors first Hamilton game in 2004. The Auckland Regional Council experienced its own case of sporting failure in December when it shelled out about $2.5 million to bring soccer star David Beckham and the LA Galaxy to Auckland for an exhibition game. The game was attended by only 16,000 fans, 3000 short of the number needed just to break even, and the loss to the regional council topped $200,000. Mr Burton said that if this Warriors-Storm game was a success, the council would look at bringing more pre-season games to the city. Warriors chief executive Wayne Scurrah recognised that an event like the upcoming match could be a big financial risk for a city, but was confident Hamiltonians would "rise to the occasion". "Obviously it has to be financially viable for the city," he said. "But if the town turns up, and turns it on, it makes for a fantastic time." He said the team was looking forward to heading south of the Bombays, and they were keen to perform in front of Waikato's rugby league fans. "Waikato Stadium is one of the best stadiums in the country. From a playing point of view you can't ask for better," he said. It is likely the Warriors will also use the match to pay tribute to rising star Sonny Fai, who was lost in a rip at Bethells Beach, Auckland, on January 4.
	posted by NZ WARRIORS