Australia vice-captain Paul Gallen wants the Eden Park crowd to make the atmosphere as hostile as possible for Friday night’s rugby league Test against New Zealand.
While the workaholic back-rower stopped short of endorsing the bottle-throwing that marred the Kangaroos’ last visit in 2010, Gallen said the taunts and abuse were all part of the package for touring teams.
“I thought it was great in 2010 – I don’t have a drama with any of it at all,” Gallen said.
“The Kiwis are very passionate supporters and they love their rugby league.
“The most important thing is to get as many people here as they possibly can – it would be great to fill it or at least get over 30,000.
“Just get all the Kiwis out here – I don’t really mind what goes on.
“I think it was good for the game and really showed how much they cared.”
The 2010 Test – part of the Four Nations tournament – was the first time a rugby league international had been played at Eden Park in 22 years.
New Zealand Rugby League officials were hopeful of a reaching the 35,000 mark, with a large number of discounted tickets snapped up on Thursday.
The Kiwis will be out to win their first mid-year Test since 1998, while they are also hoping to snap a poor recent run at home against Australia, having not beaten the Kangaroos on home soil in their previous five attempts.