The Warriors will need to take the hard path to the NRL Grand Final, having lost to the Dolphins in their qualifier at Go Media Mount Smart Stadium.

A victory in week one would have seen the Warriors take a week off and advance straight to the preliminiary finals in week three.

Instead they’ll take on the Newscastle Knights in a must-win elimination final on Sunday.

Here’s who plays who next:

The teams that lost their qualifying finals get another chance. They play the winners of the elimination finals in two sudden death games.

The two winners would then move on to the preliminary finals.

Warriors boss Cameron George is expecting Sunday’s game to sell out, in what he describes as an international for his side.

“It’s us versus Australia. So the more people we get there, the better New Zealand will be.

“There are 17 teams in this comp and we’re the only one from here so it’s us against them. This is our New Zealand grand final in the NRL and it’s pretty special.”

Warriors club members can buy tickets from midday Monday with general public tickets going on sale Tuesday.

The four remaining teams play in the preliminary finals.

The Panthers and Dolphins have advanced straight to the prelims where they’ll meet the winners of the semi finals.

If the Warriors win against the Knights this weekend, they’ll go on to play the Panthers.

The winner of the Sharks v Roosters match this weekend will face the Dolphins.

The winners book their place in the Grand Final.

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Extra paediatricians are being drafted in and elective procedures are still being called off in the busiest flu season for Auckland’s children’s hospitals in years.

PHF Science figures showed there had been about 70 children with the most severe respiratory symptoms admitted each week for the past four weeks to Kidz First and Starship hospitals.

That was an 85 percent increase since the end of July and did not reflect the total number of children in hospital with respiratory symptoms, or emergency presentations.

South Auckland paediatrician Dame Teuila Percival said this winter had been the worst for years – and the busiest she could remember.

It had been all hands on deck at KidzFirst.

“People do extra shifts, we have senior medical officers like myself, and others who work in places like psychiatry coming in, helping out doing more time in the ED,” Dame Teuila said.

Children were being admitted with a wide range of symptoms including dehydration, confusion from fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, difficulty breathing, a bad cough and needing oxygen, she said.

Some were in intensive care – usually because they needed high levels of support with breathing, she said.

“They’re taken care of very well when they’re there but its very stressful for parents and families to see their children so unwell,” he said.

RNZ understands Starship also remained very busy, with elective procedures still regularly deferred because the space was need for acutely unwell children.

Dame Teuila said many of the sickest children were Pasifika or Māori children.

It was great that the flu vaccine had been made free for under-fives earlier this month, but she would like to see it free for everyone next winter, she said.

Flu often made its way around a family, and more vaccination would help.

“It’s not uncommon that the whole family come to ED – and we see all the children and the mum and the dad and everybody’s sick,” she said.

Dame Teuila said there needed to be more resources for general practice to be able to help more people get in to see their doctors before they get sicker.

“I do think getting to primary care is a barrier for a lot of families particularly if you have got two, three, four kids all sick. Its very hard to get into see someone at the moment in a timely way,” she said.

“My colleagues in primary care work really hard. They’re just under the pump when I speak to them on the phone as we all are. They just need more people,” she said

RNZ asked Health NZ for figures for children in other main hospitals in New Zealand, but it said they needed to go through the Official Information Act process which could take several weeks.

But PHF Science kept combined figures for the two dedicated children’s hospitals in Auckland, which is why they were readily available.

A spokesperson said the figures which went to 6 September were part of its severe acute respiratory surveillance which only covered some of the sickest children.

Other respiratory hospitalisations would not be included.

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After decades of waiting, delays, cost blowouts and disruption, Aucklander commuters finally got to ride on the new City Rail Link on Sunday.

And today commuters see try out brand new rail link in morning rush hour.

The $5.5 billion project has brought two new underground train stations, and turned Waitemata station from a dead-end into a two-way thoroughfare.

It has been touted as a game-changer for Auckland, helping to move more people around the city and reduce car dependence.

On opening day, more than 400 people turned out at Ōtāhuhu station Before 5am to be on the first train to travel through the City Rail Link.

Politicians, train nerds, and advocates alike were crammed in to the carriages, and as the new tunnel drew nearer, the excitement was growing.

Chants of “tunnel, tunnel, tunnel” rang out through the train, and a cheer went up as it entered.

Taylor Parker, 23, arrived at 3.40am in Ōtāhuhu to be the first person in the queue.

“This is incredible. It is like the harbour bridge opening but for the younger generation. It’s truly a once in a lifetime.”

As the day drew on, thousands travelled through the new tunnels and stations at Karangahape road and Te Waihorotiu in mid town, which had entrances on Victoria and Wellesley streets.

Bryce Ongley was checking out the new stations with his two kids.

“Yeah nah, they’ve really enjoyed it. It’s kind of like space age – out of this world when you come down here and see it, eh? All lit up.”

His daughter Frankie was also impressed.

“They’re very cool and very big, and I love them and I think it’s my favourite one. Because it’s in the city and I love the city.”

Cyclist Sarah Woodfield said the new stations and tunnels would help her get more places on her bike, and give people more options for getting around.

“No city ever solved its traffic problems by building more roads. So public transport being a good option is really great for everyone.”

Kate Millington lived in Mount Eden, and said the new stations reminded her of Sydney where she used to live.

“It’s bloody amazing. I use the trains a lot, and I timed myself from home to the Maungawhau station, and rather than taking 20 minutes to get to Kingsland it took me seven.”

Manukau Ward Councillor Alf Filipaina said the CRL would help connect South Auckland with the rest of the city.

“It’s a matter of getting off the roads, using the train when they can. And having the ability from south-side to come all the way into town.”

Patrick Reynolds – director of advocacy at charity Greater Auckland – said despite the excitement, a more joined-up rail network would become the new normal.

“Instead of a train full of very tired nerds. This will just be every day, it’ll be completely ordinary. Getting the train is just a thing you’ll do.”

The opening day was not without an issue – a small fire at Waitemata station caused by a lighting cable early in the day created delays and cancellations across the network – but things were back on track by about noon.

Auckland Transport chief executive Stacy van der Putten said the disruption was disappointing, but she was impressed with how crews responded.

Time will tell whether there are any other kinks to iron out in the first days and weeks of the new network.

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