By Michael Burgess in Las Vegas

If you want an example of the enduring Warriors fever – despite the underwhelming season last year – the evidence is all around in Las Vegas.

Around 10,000 Warriors fans have descended on the Nevada hotspot ahead of Sunday’s NRL season opener at Allegiant Stadium.

It’s a significant number. There are approximately 12,000 from England – mainly following Wigan, along with opponents Warrington and some other Super League clubs – while Cronulla, Penrith and Canberra have mustered around 20,000 between them.

The Warriors tribe are a colourful sight along the Las Vegas strip, in club merchandise along with custom made supporter gear. Michael Burgess talked to a few of them.

The oldest rookie

Steve Donaldson has never been to a live Warriors game. On top of that, the 75-year-old has never attended any live sports event. As improbable as it sounds, Sunday’s match will be the first time the Napier resident has entered a stadium. It’s a hell of a way to make your debut.

“I was a nerd and sport was absolutely stupid – I used to think, who would play sport?” Donaldson told the Herald. “I was never, ever interested in sport. Never. I haven’t been to a game before – of anything.”

A former television serviceman, Donaldson remembers going to people’s houses in the summer and having to bluff his way through conversations about the Black Caps.

“I had no idea,” laughed Donaldson.

But he started to follow the Warriors about 15 years ago, partly as a shared activity with his son Mark, who lives in Katikati.

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“We would message each other during the game,” said Donaldson. “And I’ve enjoyed following them.”

Steve Donaldson (centre) with sons Craig (left) and Mark. Photo / Michael Burgess

This trip came about by chance. He saw a story about the Warriors’ Vegas venture in the Herald and after encouragement from Mark – “He told me, ‘You should go Dad’ – he wandered into his local travel agent in Napier. There was another twist, as it happened to be the day that Air New Zealand packages went on sale.

“I told him, ‘I’ve got to talk to my son first’,” recalled Donaldson. “But he said, ‘You’ve only got a few minutes to book…and I hope you have got a good credit card because you have to pay before you leave, for both of you, or you won’t get one”

Donaldson jumped in, as the charter flight packages were snapped up in just 17 minutes. His plans surprised friends and neighbours.

“‘You – you’re going to watch the Warriors in Vegas’, they said,” recalled Donaldson. “Fair enough.”

Once in a lifetime 

Wattle Downs resident Olivia has been following the Warriors since their inception.

“She’s a mad fan,” joked husband Brent, who used to play league for several Auckland clubs.

The couple have been members for years but going to Las Vegas seemed a bridge too far, given they have three children, aged 11, eight and six.

“I thought to myself, who is going to look after the kids,” said Olivia.

Warriors fan Brent in a custom-made NFL-style shirt. Photo / Michael Burgess

But her mother and sister encouraged them to go, given she also turns 40 this year.

“They told me it was once in a lifetime,” said Olivia.

Ahead of last Tuesday’s flight, there was a road trip to Kaitaia, to drop the children at their grandmother’s, where they will stay until next week.

“It’s a strange feeling,” said Olivia. “We haven’t been away together like this since before the first one was born. I cried my eyes out when I was saying goodbye. But it’s an amazing thing to be doing.”

The delay 

Last Wednesday, when Dean McLachlan and his family were meant to be soaking up the pre-game buzz in Las Vegas, they were instead on a boat trip to Alcatraz, after a missed connection meant they were stuck in San Francisco. Their flight had arrived at 6.50am but there were massive queues and a two-hour wait through customs and immigration.

‘We were told later their systems were down,” said McLachlan.

They were rebooked on the next available flight, which didn’t arrive in the Nevada city till after midnight, while around 40 other Kiwis in a similar predicament were on standby. But the McLachlan clan enjoyed San Francisco – “it was a gorgeous day” – while the time in Vegas has been superb, with the Fremont Street red carpet launch the highlight so far.

Warriors superfan Dean McLachlan with Herald reporter Michael Burgess. Photo / Supplied

“I was proud to hear the loudest cheers of the night for the Wahs and stoked with the players’ levels of engagement,” said McLachlan.

The decision to come to Vegas was a simple one for McLachlan, who has had a long media career and was communications manager at the Warriors in the mid-1990s.

“My wife and I are celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary,” explained McLachlan. “I love league, she loves Vegas, so it’s a match made in heaven.”

Michael Burgess travelled to Las Vegas courtesy of Air New Zealand

Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.