Wests Tigers in talks to take home game to Dunedin during Leichhardt Oval revamp

Club weighs New Zealand fixture as $40m rebuild displaces its traditional Sydney home

By LineZotpaper

Published23 October 2026

Read Time3 min

Sources3 outlets

The Wests Tigers are in talks to play a home game at Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium next season, with Leichhardt Oval out of action for a $40m redevelopment, sources with knowledge of the situation have confirmed.

With Leichhardt Oval out of action for a $40m redevelopment, the Wests Tigers are exploring the possibility of taking a home game to the deep south of New Zealand next season.

Sources with knowledge of the situation, not authorised to speak publicly, confirmed the club has been in discussion with Dunedin officials about playing at Forsyth Barr Stadium. Canterbury and the New Zealand Warriors played an NRL game at the glass-roofed venue in 2017, as did the Bulldogs.

The sources said the Tigers were first approached about Christchurch, which would promote the region's push to be included as the NRL's 20th team. There was even talk of playing the game against the Warriors in mid-June, when State of Origin II takes over the Warriors' Auckland home for the first time, with travelling Australian fans encouraged to spend extra days on local soil.

Interest was also fielded from Hamilton and Wellington before Dunedin put together a strong proposal in the last fortnight. The club was not commenting when approached, while representatives at Forsyth Barr Stadium did not return calls. The sources said the stadium was also in talks with two powerhouse out-of-Sydney NRL clubs about a pre-season trial in late February.

The refurbished Leichhardt, including a new northern grandstand and significant improvements to the main western grandstand, will be ready for the start of the 2028 season. In the meantime, Campbelltown will host up to six games before its own renovation, CommBank Stadium is expected to host as many as four despite fans' reluctance to embrace the home of Parramatta, and the Tigers enter the final year of taking a home game to Suncorp Stadium for Magic Round. They will be the away team when they meet Melbourne in Las Vegas.

Appetite across the Tasman is growing, the sources noted, with interest in the Southern Orcas and the success of the Warriors, while coach Benji Marshall remains hugely popular with New Zealand sports fans on both islands.

The club also confirmed on Thursday that back-rower Samuela Fainu had signed a two-year extension tying him to the club until the end of 2029. New recruit Tyson Frizell, involved in Newcastle's grand final campaign and entitled to extra leave as a veteran, will have only a few weeks of pre-season training before returning to Las Vegas for a second straight year.

Analysis

Why This Matters

With Leichhardt Oval closed, the Tigers face a reshaped home schedule for next season, and a Dunedin fixture would move a home game far from the club's Sydney heartland.
A South Island match would extend the NRL's footprint in New Zealand at a time of rising interest in the Warriors and the proposed Southern Orcas expansion team.
The choice will test supporter appetite, with fans already reluctant to embrace a temporary home at Parramatta's CommBank Stadium.

Background

The Wests Tigers are a Sydney club with a long tradition of splitting home games between Leichhardt Oval in the inner west and Campbelltown in the south-west. With Leichhardt undergoing a $40m rebuild scheduled to be ready for the 2028 season, the club is working through temporary venues for next year. Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, notable for its glass roof, has hosted NRL matches before, including a 2017 game involving Canterbury and the Warriors. New Zealand interest in rugby league has been building on the back of the Warriors' success and the Southern Orcas bid, making the country an increasingly attractive venue for clubs seeking to move home games.

Key Perspectives

Wests Tigers: The club is weighing crowd appeal and revenue across several options, from Campbelltown and CommBank Stadium to a possible trans-Tasman trip. Dunedin's proposal has emerged as the strongest after earlier interest from Hamilton and Wellington.

Dunedin and South Island rugby league: Stadium officials are keen to secure more NRL events. A separate push from Christchurch, tied to the region's campaign for a 20th NRL team, was the reported reason the Tigers were first approached about playing there.

Fans: Supporter sentiment is a constraint. The report notes fans have shown reluctance to embrace CommBank Stadium, the home of western Sydney rivals Parramatta, which may colour how a "home" game played in New Zealand would be received.

What to Watch

Whether the Tigers and Dunedin convert the talks into a confirmed fixture before the 2027 draw is finalised.
The mooted late-February pre-season trial between Forsyth Barr Stadium and two heavyweight out-of-Sydney NRL clubs.
How the club allocates remaining home games between Campbelltown and CommBank Stadium, and what fan numbers look like at each venue.

Sources

With Leichhardt Oval out of action, Tigers in talks to take home game to New Zealand · Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News
With Leichhardt Oval out of action, Tigers in talks to take home game to New Zealand · WA Today - Latest News
With Leichhardt Oval out of action, Tigers in talks to take home game to New Zealand · Brisbane Times - Latest News

Checked

11 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 10 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedThe Wests Tigers are in talks to play a home game at Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium next season.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Sources with knowledge of the situation not authorised to speak publicly confirmed the Tigers have been deep in discussion with Dunedin officials about playing a “home game” at Forsyth Barr Stadium.”
SupportedLeichhardt Oval is out of action for a $40 million revamp.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “With Leichhardt Oval out of action, Tigers in talks to take home game to New Zealand. As Leichhardt Oval undergoes a much-needed $40m revamp”
SupportedThe club was first approached about playing in Christchurch to promote the region’s bid to become the NRL’s 20th team.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “The sources confirmed the Tigers had originally been approached about playing a game in Christchurch, which would help promote the region and its push to be included as the NRL’s 20th team.”
SupportedThere was talk of playing the Warriors in mid-June when Origin II takes over their Auckland home for the first time.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “There was even talk about playing the game against the Warriors in the middle of June when Origin II takes over the Warriors’ Auckland backyard for the first time.”
SupportedDunedin put together a strong proposal in the last fortnight, after interest from Hamilton and Wellington.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “The Tigers fielded similar interest from stadium officials in Hamilton, then Wellington, before Dunedin put together a strong proposal in the last fortnight.”
Partly supportedThe sources noted that appetite for NRL games across the Tasman is growing.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “the appetite from the other side of the Tasman is growing, especially with the interest in the Southern Orcas – not to mention the excitement and success of the Warriors.”
SupportedThe stadium is in talks with two out-of-Sydney NRL clubs about a pre-season trial in late February.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “The sources confirmed the stadium was also in talks with two powerhouse out-of-Sydney NRL clubs playing a pre-season trial in late February.”
SupportedThe refurbished Leichhardt Oval will be ready for the start of the 2028 season.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “A refurbished Leichhardt, which includes a new northern grandstand, and significant improvements to the main western grandstand, will be ready for the Tigers at the start of the 2028 season”
SupportedCampbelltown will host up to six games before its renovation.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Campbelltown, the club’s other spiritual base in south-western Sydney, will host up to six games before it gets its own renovation in 2028.”
SupportedCommBank Stadium is expected to host as many as four games.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Parramatta’s CommBank Stadium is expected to host as many four games”
SupportedSamuela Fainu signed a two-year extension tying him to the club until the end of 2029.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “The Tigers on Thursday confirmed gun back-rower Samuela Fainu had inked a two-year extension, tying him to the club until the end of 2029.”