For Newcastle Knights fan Bailey Goodacre, grand final day began 156km from Sydney’s Accor Stadium in the Del Hotel and Pub on Newcastle’s trendy Darby Street.
asserted
day → begin → Street
Not long after the pub’s doors opened at 10am, Goodacre and his mates were inside, beer in hand and ready to watch their team in a grand final for the first time in 25 years.
asserted
Goodacre → open → years
“We’ll steady ourselves and have some food and drinks,” he said.
asserted
he → steady → food
“Eventually, we’ll have more people come.
asserted
people → have → ?
It’s going to be unreal.
asserted
It → go → ?
I can’t wait.
asserted
I → wait → ?
“We defended the table, and now we’re going to defend the kingdom.”
asserted
we → defend → kingdom
The city woke to promising news after the tragedy of Saturday.
asserted
city → wake → Saturday
Several supporters, including children, were hospitalised after a car crashed into a crowd in Newcastle.
asserted
car → include → Newcastle
But a five-year-old girl struck by the car, who underwent emergency surgery the night before, was now in a critical but stable condition.
asserted
who → strike → condition
“We feel really bad for what has happened.
asserted
what → feel → ?
It is sad,” Goodacre said, adding that he thought the town, already bonded by their team’s success, had become even closer after the incident.
asserted
town → say → incident
At Broadmeadow Station, three kilometres closer to Accor Stadium, groups of Knights fans left every 30 minutes on trains to Sydney.
asserted
groups → leave → Sydney
Most were in Newcastle jerseys, few had any luggage and they seemed prepared to make the return journey after the match.
asserted
they → have → match
Two of them, Cathy and Michelle Price, wouldn’t have been on the Newcastle express if not for the tickets they won in a competition on the morning of the game.
asserted
they → win → game
“I’ve had to change my plans,” Cathy said on the platform.
asserted
Cathy → have → platform
By midday, hundreds had crossed the Hawkesbury River, descending on the state capital by train, bus or car.
asserted
hundreds → cross → train
Ashlee Storey and her mum, Anissa, were two who made the journey on the Pacific Motorway, arriving at the stadium in jerseys from the collection of their late brother and son Matthew, who died nine years ago from Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
asserted
who → make → lymphoma
“All his friends have been sending messages saying he’ll be here with us.
asserted
he → send → us
They’re so happy we got tickets,” Anissa said.
asserted
Anissa → ’re → tickets
“He was the number one Knights fan, and even his coffin, he had a Knights coffin.”
asserted
he → have → coffin
Ashlee, who attends every home game, has worn her Knights jerseys to work every day this week, much to the chagrin of her boss, a Roosters supporter.
asserted
who → attend → boss
“Just upsetting and devastating,” she said.
asserted
she → say → ?
“I feel so sorry for all the families that were all involved in it.
asserted
that → feel → it
It’s just terrible.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
“It’s been such a great atmosphere in Newcastle and for one guy to ruin it all for everyone is just really upsetting.”
asserted
ruin → ruin → everyone
Although Knights fans dominated the station and pubs around Accor – including one actually dressed as a knight (“It’s not knitted by Nan; I got it on eBay,” David Thompson said) – others were there for the State Championship and NRLW grand final.
asserted
others → dominate → final
Otherwise, the Broncos jersey, shorts, socks and necklace he received for his birthday on Thursday wouldn’t have seen the inside of a stadium until next year.
asserted
he → receive → year
Sadly for him, the Broncos were well beaten, 30-6, by the Roosters in the women’s decider.
asserted
Broncos → beat → decider
Though fewer than the Knights fans, Roosters supporters made a pilgrimage of their own from Sydney’s east to its west and weren’t phased by being in the minority.
“It doesn’t matter,” Harry Zouroudis, who dressed up as a Rooster, said.
asserted
who → make → Rooster
“It’s the result that matters in the end.”
asserted
that → ’ → end
Some Roosters fans made a much longer commute, and only intend to do so once.
Moruya’s Brad Fairbairn has been a fan for more than half a century but has never attended a grand final.
asserted
Fairbairn → make → final
He’s in the stands because of a drunken impulse after the Roosters’ 36-20 victory over the Dolphins in the preliminary final at Suncorp Stadium.
asserted
He → ’ → Stadium
“Well I got drunk last Friday night and said I don’t care what it costs, we’re going,” he said.
asserted
he → get → what
Although Fairburn spent more than $1600 on two tickets – one for himself and one for partner Karen Cooper – he didn’t wake up hungover and regretful the morning after.
“It’s a bucket list thing,” he said.
asserted
he → spend → Cooper
“We’re not getting any younger, we won’t be back again.”
asserted
we → get → ?
The Aporia
