Warriors v Sharks matches on our patch | Rotorua News | Local News in Rotorua

Watch out for Sharks at Lake Taupo next winter.

Sydney league side Cronulla Sharks are set to sign a three-year deal with the Vodafone Warriors and the NRL to play at Owen Delaney Park in Taupo. They have played outside their Sydney base before but always on Australian soil.

The matches, rumoured to be a $200,000-a-game deal, would effectively be a home game for the Sharks.

The club was hosted at the Taupo Hilton over the weekend. Chairman Damien Irvine inspected the ground and met council staff. He was joined by NRL chief operating officer Graham Annesley to look over the facilities.

Taupo mayor Rick Cooper said it was a coup for the town.

"We've a couple of very keen people in Taupo who ferret away and work at things," he said. "These are exciting times. It's now just a matter of waiting to hear from the NRL."

They expect to hear within a month if they have the green light, until then no deal has been signed between the council and the Sharks, but Mr Cooper said they had "given them a commitment to try to make it happen".

The council has to make sure the grandstand's roof can bear the weight of television crews and they will also have to make decisions on whether to bring in temporary seating.

The grandstand has enough seats for 1750 but has a ground capacity of 37,000 - substantially more than the Shark's home ground of Toyota Park, which has a capacity of 22,000.

Last week it was revealed the Sharks - with Newcastle and Gold Coast - required emergency assistance from the NRL to pay their players this season.

Irvine said on the Sharks website that management was looking at taking two games away each year for commercial reasons.

Mr Cooper said the town would host a week-long celebration around the NRL match, which is expected to take place in August next year, three weeks before it hosts Rugby World Cup teams.

 Mr Cooper said the Sharks planned to stay in Taupo for eight days and would take advantage of the flights between Sydney and Rotorua.