Police will have extra patrols in south Auckland on Saturday night as Tonga and Australia face off in a heavily anticipated rugby league clash at Mt Smart Stadium.
Disorder broke out between fans in 2017, after Tonga's historic victory over New Zealand. There were also various incidents in the weeks prior, including street fights and flag burning.
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But there's confidence fans will behave on Saturday night. Manukau Ward Councillor Efeso Collins says the community has reflected since then.
"We've had some young people who just got completely out of control last time. They've looked back and thought, well, that's not the kind of behaviour expected from Tongan young people, from Pacific people, at all."
Mr Collins says significant planning has gone into this year's event.
"That's pretty much what was lacking last time - people wanted to come out and celebrate. We had fan zones during the Rugby World Cup, yet we had no fan zones during the Rugby League World Cup…
"Channelling the excitement was what we talked about last time, and this time we've got it right. People can be excited, they can share their exuberance, because [we've got] better planning this time around."
The match - the first-ever between Tonga and Australia - kicks off at 7:35pm.
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