League fans horrify park neighbours

Steve and Ros Morris, with daughters Scarlett (21 months) and Pippa (8), had trouble getting to their home. Photo / Natalie Slade

Fan behaviour at Eden Park was "bloody frightening" on Saturday - the worst experience the neighbouring Morris family says it has ever had at a park event.

Steve Morris, wife Ros and their three young children had difficulty returning to their home near the stadium, and were confronted by a group of drunk "bogans" wanting to enter their house and party.

Their 6 and 8-year-olds were too scared to sleep in their own beds and bunked down with Mrs Morris, while outside aggressive drunkenness carried on amid the stench of marijuana. An alcohol ban outside the ground was not enforced by police, she said.

Mr Morris said the children enjoyed the friendly banter when the rugby was on at Eden Park, but Mrs Morris said it was an "horrific experience that my kids had to witness" outside the league double-header.

The family's drama began when they returned home from a family Guy Fawkes party as fans were leaving the area. Police told the Morrises they could not enter Walters Rd from Dominion Rd, even though a flyer said Walters Rd "will have entry and exit points at all times" for residents with a pass.

The police did, however, have responsibility for making the area safe and could change traffic arrangements.

In all the confusion, Mrs Morris fell out of the car and scraped her knee while trying to show the police a pass.

With the children crying, the Morris family were let through a barrier at Dominion and Onslow Rds only to be confronted by another road block at the intersection of Bellwood Ave and Marlborough St. There was another delay before they could get to their house a short distance away.

Anna Copplestone, another Bellwood Rd resident, reported seeing a man knocked off his scooter by an official transport car at the intersection of Marlborough St and Bellwood Ave at 7pm. The man was shaken but unhurt, she said.

Jose Fowler, of the Eden Park Residents' Association, described the traffic management as a "terrible effort".

"If that's a rehearsal for Rugby World Cup there should be some resignation letters floating around on Monday," Mr Fowler said in an email to neighbours yesterday.

Eden Park Neighbours' Association president Mark Donnelly said from a traffic point of view it was "a complete shambles".

"We were told there was no such thing as a lockdown, which of course was nonsense. There were barriers in places they weren't going to be, things like that.

"If I was [Rugby World Cup Minister] Murray McCully, I'd be very worried. The traffic was nowhere near a trial for the Rugby World Cup.

"They weren't dealing with thousands of taxis, they weren't dealing with coaches and things. This game was smaller than a normal test we have every year and yet we still managed to grind down Dominion Rd and we had to close half the arterials in Auckland. You'd really have to question the competence of this process."

A spokeswoman for Auckland Transport said the traffic management trial at Eden Park had gone "really well", without a single complaint.

There were plans, however, to sit down with residents and review the trial, she said.

Excitement, then shame

"I will never attend another New Zealand rugby league game in New Zealand after what I witnessed on Saturday night."

These words of long-time rugby league fan Mark Herrick were echoed in several letters sent to the Herald after Saturday's match.

The Auckland man, who has followed the sport nationally and internationally for many years, said his excitement in going to the game quickly turned to shame.

"The night, a first trial of Eden Park for the upcoming World Cup, was an absolute disgrace in terms of supporter behaviour," he said.

"New Zealand rugby league supporters should be utterly ashamed of some of their behaviour ... there were fights, families were abused, items were thrown and Australian supporters completely disrespected.

"As a new father I felt completely embarrassed about the way in which some New Zealand rugby league supporters attended that game. The family atmosphere was non-existent.

"I will not take my family there after what I witnessed - something I have been waiting to do for all these years.

"New Zealand, I am all for competitiveness against the Australians but our behaviour on Saturday night was out of order. Rugby league should be for all - not just the drunk few who are hell-bent on disorder. Shame on us."