Celebrating 300th match at Go Media Stadium

On a night when Shaun Johnson and Tohu Harris achieve personal milestones, the One New Zealand Warriors’ Friday night clash against St George Illawarra also doubles as the club’s 300th match at their home ground Go Media Stadium Mt Smart.

It has taken three years longer than it might have due to the Covid pandemic era but in a season studded with so many memorable moments and achievements, the number 300 is another one to add to the mix.

It comes two weeks after the club’s 700th match overall when they beat the Wests Tigers at FMG Waikato Stadium in Hamilton.

In its various incarnations – Ericsson Stadium, Mount Smart Stadium and now Go Media Stadium – the venue has provided 171 wins, a draw and 127 losses since the first against Brisbane on March 19, 1995.

The winning strike rate of a tick over 57 per cent compares favourably with many other clubs’ home ground records.

Oddly enough of the venues where the One New Zealand Warriors have played more than once – home or away – there's one which pips the Go Media Stadium strike rate. That’s the old Sydney Football Stadium where the Warriors had a winning strike rate of almost 60 per cent from 26 matches played there.

The 299 games played at Go Media Stadium immediately connect with a stunning array of the club’s most memorable contests and individual moments, many of them produced in this unforgettable 2023 campaign.

As always the very first against the Broncos in 1995, while ending in a 22-25 defeat, stands out as the iconic match of them all, nothing topping the moment Dean Bell led the originals out of the tunnel.

It was the launching pad for so many standouts at home.

The memory cells immediately throw up the 36-20 win over Canberra in the first home final in 2002, the 30-13 victory over the Roosters in the 2008 home final, swamping Newcastle 42-0 in Stacey Jones’ 100th appearance in 1999, the first win over Brisbane (13-12) through Jones’ late field goal in 2001, the magical 28-14 triumph over Melbourne in 2015 (Nathan Friend’s upside down, between the legs off load), blotting Parramatta 48-0 in 2014, the finals-intensity wins over the Bulldogs (22-14) and the Broncos (18-4, Kevin Campion on Shane Webcke) on back-to-back weekends in 2002, the 22-14 2003 win over the Broncos (including a fair stoush), the sold-out 2007 match against Manly (36-14) marking the 30th anniversary of the famous 1977 Auckland team, the 10th anniversary match against the Broncos in 2005 (30-18), pounding Brisbane 34-6 in 2010, the 20-16 win against the Panthers (Shaun Johnson’s golden point try) … this could go on for some time.   

As for individual deeds, there are just too many to run through right here although Wade McKinnon’s scarcely believable try against Penrith in 2007 always demands attention.

Right now it’s all about match #300 on Friday night, the final regular season home game of the season.

It’s an occasion of huge significance as the One New Zealand Warriors hunt a seventh consecutive win which will seal a spot in the top four for the first time since 2007.