There wasn't a shadow of doubt among the fans at Hunter Stadium on Thursday as the diehards mingled about before the gates opened for the Knights' first clash of the season against the Roosters.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
They had it in the bag.
Organisers expected between 3,500 and 5,000 spectators for the club's opening salvo in its campaign to become three-time consecutive NRLW premiers.
Janelle Farrow and Greg Kay were the first in line at the barricades in the regulation regalia. They had travelled up from the Central Coast for the match and were set to follow the team to Canberra for their second game of the season, doubtless that the locals could clinch the win on Thursday and bring the premiership home for a third time.
Mrs Farrow has been a club member for as long as there has been a Knights club to speak of and has followed the Red and Blue through the good times and the bad.
"We have the best fan base," she said, "The other teams are always saying that they hate running out because of the noise.
"I've sat here in the wind, the rain, the cold."
Young Mason Wilcher is five years old and was decked out in the Knights' dreadlock beanie.
"We call it the Dom Young beanie," his dad, Michael, said confidentially. "But that's a bit of a sore point."
Mason's older brother, Chase, who is eight ("Eight and a half," Mason adds for the record), follows reigning Dally M Medallist Tamika Upton. The local family were decked out in fan colours for the team's first season clash, confident they could dominate a third year in a row.
Star player Yasmin Clydsdale has boasted a side fit and ready to go ahead of Thursday night's clash against her former club, tipping a fitter and faster forward would be key to a first-up victory.
The 30-year-old's last outing at McDonald Jones Stadium was in NSW's loss to Queensland in Origin II on June 6. The Maroons prevailed 2-1 in the three-match series.
The Knights women crushed the competition in 2023, conceding a loss only in the second round against the Cowboys before romping home with straight wins to the grand final in October, delivering a resounding victory over the Titans.
As fans filtered into the grounds a broadmeadow, New Lambton fan Cameron Howard waved the team flag in the throng.
"I've been a fan for a very long time," he said, beaming. When asked if the team could go all the way, his answer was emphatically monosyllabic: "Yep," he said and smiled.
Simon McCarthy
Simon McCarthy is a journalist working at the Newcastle Herald in NSW. He writes news and features, and produces video and multimedia, for the Herald and Herald Weekender magazine. He contributes regularly to the Newcastle Herald’s daily Topics column, and is the co-creator and producer of the Toohey’s News podcast. McCarthy has worked as a journalist in regional NSW since 2013. He joined the newsroom of the Newcastle Herald in 2017 from the Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he worked from 2015 to 2016. Contact McCarthy on Signal at @SimonMcCarthy.50 or via this link: https://signal.me/#eu/SogMRDSICna4awnaQul1KAYAonquE3VoSG1eSaxudp73Pq8de-tDPI2GvkjVjoZR
Simon McCarthy is a journalist working at the Newcastle Herald in NSW. He writes news and features, and produces video and multimedia, for the Herald and Herald Weekender magazine. He contributes regularly to the Newcastle Herald’s daily Topics column, and is the co-creator and producer of the Toohey’s News podcast. McCarthy has worked as a journalist in regional NSW since 2013. He joined the newsroom of the Newcastle Herald in 2017 from the Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he worked from 2015 to 2016. Contact McCarthy on Signal at @SimonMcCarthy.50 or via this link: https://signal.me/#eu/SogMRDSICna4awnaQul1KAYAonquE3VoSG1eSaxudp73Pq8de-tDPI2GvkjVjoZR
