A stay in hospital had a silver lining for one young Auckland girl, who was visited by members of the Gold Coast Titans rugby league team.

The Gold Coast Titans spent their day off whizzing around Waitemata Harbour yesterday.

Eden Park's management are confident they will find the right balance between maintaining order and allowing fans to have fun.

The full line-ups for the Auckland Nines will be revealed today, with a host of superstar names.

All Sisa Waqa really wanted to do when growing up was play sevens for Fiji.

Nines organisers and Eden Park management are confident there will be no recurrence of a ticketing glitch.

Police are expecting a "huge" weekend as thousands of people flock to various events around Auckland, with crowds expected to be the biggest since the Rugby World Cup.

They might not be the players that immediately spring to mind when trying to predict who will be suited to league nines but it would be dangerous to disregard props.

Organisers of NRL Auckland Nines are trying to get tickets removed from Trade Me as scalpers start cashing in on New Zealand's bumper event calendar.

The NRL's confidential security and risk management plan for the inaugural Auckland Nines warns that players could be lured into fixing matches and taking illicit substances.

Dean Lonergan and business partner David Higgins know what it is to stare in the face of bankruptcy. But next weekend, they will kick off their biggest event yet, the $7.5 million NRL Auckland Nines.

Sonny Bill Williams and Kieran Foran have been identified internally as two of several Kiwis players under investigation.

A group of former NRL old boys, including Steve Price and Andrew Ryan, could be used as "peacemakers" in the event of any off-field incidents.

Shaun Johnson thinks the Warriors can win the NRL premiership - and that is why he has signed a new four-year contract with the Auckland team.

Rugby league officials are spending $100,000 on bodyguards who will accompany NRL players during next weekend's Auckland Nines tournament.

Blake Ferguson's lawyer has lashed out at the NRL for launching the young star into an alcohol-soaked celebrity bubble and abandoning him when he faltered.

The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (Asada) has hired former Federal Court judge Garry Downes to help wrap up its investigations into the AFL and NRL.

That's more like it. It's traditional for the league season to start with a decent rumour and a month out from the NRL kickoff, we have a doozy.

Organisers of the NRL Auckland Nines have installed temporary seating to increase Eden Park's capacity after the event sold out.

Chad Townsend says he has enjoyed every minute of his time since relocating to Auckland in November.