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The Warriors are hoping for one of the biggest crowds in their recent history for their homecoming game against the Bulldogs on August 15.
The club confirmed the one-off match on Wednesday, after weeks of negotiations with the NRL and the Canterbury Bankstown club.
It will end a drought of716 days since they last played at Mount Smart Stadium and will also be a special home farewell for captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.
Given the occasion and the pent-up demand, the club are confident of a bumper turnout.
"We want to sell out, there's no doubt about that. Hopefully tickets just run out of town now," said chief executive Cameron George. "Anyone that's ever wanted to go to a sporting event they'll never forget, this is one to go to."
The Warriors' record home attendance is 32,174, set during their inaugural 1995 season, though Mt Smart's capacity has been significantly reduced since then. Their biggest crowd in recent years was 25,600 for the NRL double header in 2018, while 24,595 were attracted to Simon Mannering's farewell later in the same season.
George paid tribute to the other stakeholders, particularly the NRL, in a decision he described as complex, due to the ongoing uncertainty about the border situation, illustrated by the recent Melbourne lockdown.
Given the occasion and the pent-up demand, the Warriors are confident of a bumper turnout at Mt Smart Stadium. Photo / Photosport
The Warriors plan to travel on Monday 9 August and will spend almost a full week back in Auckland. As well as the standard training and game build-up, the team will spend time on "club culture stuff", meeting with New Zealand based staff.
George acknowledged that the decision could backfire: "It's a big call because it does carry a lot of risk, but we want to take that risk in terms of getting over to New Zealand."
He joked that there was "no plan B" at this stage but admitted that the game would be relocated to Central Coast stadium in Gosford if there were any border issues.
The Warriors had originally hoped for two home games in August, planning for the round 21 game with Cronulla Sharks to also be in New Zealand.
"It just didn't work out with other sports and, you know, with what they've gone on as well so we didn't want to overplay our hand at this stage," said George.
The All Blacks are scheduled to play the Wallabies on August 7 at Eden Park.
"It was just going to be too difficult a combination for people and we didn't want people to miss out," said George. "We did look at other locations, other cities, with Wellington - unfortunately they've already got a booking. But also for me if we're going to come home it was important we come home. That was about Mt Smart Stadium."
Warriors CEO Cameron George. Photo / Photosport
George admitted the players were "a bit emotional" after being informed of the news.
"You know this is a big thing for these guys," said George.
Teenager Reece Walsh has started the application process for his first passport, to facilitate the trip, while the other Australian players in the squad will be checking up on their paperwork.
The Warriors' last encounter at their home ground was against the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Friday, August 30, 2019.
By the time they meet the Bulldogs on August 15, they would have played their last 20 home games in Australia.
Tickets will be on general sale from 3:00pm on Thursday. George confirmed that 2020 season tickets will be valid for the game.
