Count the days – just 30 to go until the One New Zealand Warriors are back at Hamilton’s FMG Stadium Waikato to launch their second season since returning to the NRLW competition.
Fortified by the inclusion of 2026 NRLW premiership winners Gayle Broughton, Mele Hufanga and Netta Nuuausala plus rugby union legend Stacey Waaka, the Warriors face the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs in Hamilton on Sunday, July 5 (3.45pm kick-off).
And they’ll be back in Waikato’s main centre for a second standalone contest against head coach Ron Griffiths’ former club Newcastle on Saturday, August 8 (7.15pm kick-off).
Tickets for both games are on sale through Ticketek while a special two-match pass is also available.
The One New Zealand Warriors’ three games at the FMG Stadium Waikato last year attracted the three biggest crowds for standalone regular season matches in NRLW history of 7195 (v Broncos), 5968 (v Raiders) and 5712 (v Sharks).
Only one NRLW standalone game ranks ahead of those three attendances and that was for a semifinal when a crowd of 12,689 was on hand for the Newcastle v Brisbane clash at McDonald Jones Stadium in 2023.
“Hamilton’s a fantastic location for us,” said Griffiths.
Match: Warriors v Bulldogs
Round 1 -
home Team
Warriors
away Team
Bulldogs
Venue: FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
“We get to take two games back down there this year. It’s a bit of a rugby league heartland. For us it’s not too far (from Auckland) and feels like a second home.
“We’ve ran a Harvey Norman (Heartland Female Athlete) camp in Hamilton in March and we’ll do more in the area to promote rugby league as well as our games there.
Match: Warriors v Knights
Round 6 -
home Team
Warriors
away Team
Knights
Venue: FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
“For us it’s being out there in the community and immersing ourselves in the community. We want to support our communities so they come to support our players.
“Our players understand the job they’ve got. When people are sitting on the hill at FMG Stadium Waikato or Go Media Stadium, for that moment in time, they can watch their heroes and forget about the struggles they might be having in their lives.”
Returning to Hamilton will have added meaning for Broughton who was there with the Broncos last year, witnessing first-hand what the Wahs were all about.
“I saw a team filled with mana and pride and a team filled with wāhine toa that were ready to take the challenge on," she said.
“No better place than being in Hamilton and getting to play at their home. It was phenomenal – the feeling and the fans.
“I knew at that point I was coming home so it was a bitter-sweet moment getting to play them there and play in front of my whānau.”
Using Hamilton as a home venue again resonates with the majority of the Warriors’ 2026 squad after being there last year, and especially for Waikato products Harata Butler, Mya Hill-Moana and Capri Paekau.
