Knights rally fans for final full house

Sammyyy

Sammyyy

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Knights rally fans for final full house​

The Newcastle Knights are on track for a sellout home game for the final round of the regular NRL season when they host the Panthers at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Sunday 6 September, 2009.

Since the Knights 32 – 26 victory over the Cowboys last weekend, enquiries and sales for the Round 26 game have been running hot, as Newcastle fans rally behind their fellow Novocastrian and new coach, Rick Stone and his rejuvenated team.

Knights CEO Steve Burraston said there would be nothing better than to farewell the team for Monday night’s game in the ACT with them knowing they'll be coming home to a "full house" against Penrith the following week.

“It would be a great boost to their wining chances and to their overall moral, knowing the entire town is behind them,” he said.

"The energy the boys have drawn from the crowd over the last two weeks has been a definite factor.”

"You can feel it in the stands and see it in the team’s performance. The crowd lifted the team to a new level last week and sparked our comeback against the Cowboys. The fans have been fabulous as usual and what a better way to lift the boys confidence for an away game – to know it was going to be a capacity crowd against the Panthers”.

A born and bred Novocastrian, Coach Rick Stone joined his CEO in congratulating the Newcastle fans and asking for Newcastle supporters to lift the team and build on the momentum from the last two games.

Stone said if his team could head to the National Capital on Sunday knowing they'll be returning to play the Panthers in a sellout it will become the theme of the final two regular games.

"As a local lad I know the importance of our home supporters and how proud it makes the team to play at a packed EnergyAustralia Stadium, said Stone.”

"Only a few of the boys in our current squad have witnessed what it's like to play in a sellout match at home so if we can achieve that result by the time we board our flight on Sunday we'll be heading to Canberra with a huge confidence boost.

"The Raiders are tough at Canberra Stadium and they are Monday night specialists so to be able to draw on the fact Newcastle is behind us to that level could just prove the difference.

"With the way the season is set to finish we don’t want our play-off chances to come down to the final round. You don't want to be playing your final game relying on a for-and-against result.

"There would be nothing better for us as a team to head off knowing we have so much support back home. If we can achieve this I'll be showing the new boys footage of the sell out games in 2006 this weekend and the likes of Steve Simpson and Kurt Gidley will explain what it means to play in front of so many screaming Novocastrians.”

Mr Burraston added the Knights final home game coincides with “Old Boys Day”, a Newcastle tradition and annual reunion for past players.

New to the celebrations this year will be the addition of a Knights v Panthers “Originals” match – a 20 minute match as pre-match entertainment prior to the Old Boys lap of honour.

“Old Boys day is always an emotional occasion and if we can achieve this milestone for our team it will be a day we’ll never forget,” said Mr Burraston.

“As a footballer, Canberra can be a cold and lonely place. If our town can do this for their team it will be every bit as good as playing at home knowing an entire city is behind them.

“It sets the stage for a fantastic occasion to celebrate our current team’s success and the important place in our club’s history that the Old Boys uphold.

“Go the knights!”

http://www.newcastleknights.com.au/default.aspx?s=article-display&id=19662
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I'd better get my finger out and get my ticket(s)....I'm planning to take some relos with me.
 
Timmy said:
Damn, I'm planning to drive up for this match, might need to buy tickets beforehand
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yeh i was planning to drive up from sydney for this one aswell. just before the storm game, my mate and i decided if we won 2 out of the 3 before rd 26, we would be there for the panthers game. will have to get tickets before now aswell.
 
jamesgould said:
Why did the crowds just start getting good as soon as I left?
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Compared to many clubs in the NRL our crowds have been quite reguarly good....
We just have such high expectations...
I dont think we will have had many games with a crowd under 10000 surely...
And a crowd of a struggling Parramatta and regular Rabbitohs can avg about 5000!
 
yeh superleague must have had a massive effect, lowest yearly average was 1997, if we had a team like that, performing like they did, no doubt we'd get a sell out most weeks nowadays
 
Jonno_Knights said:
yeh superleague must have had a massive effect, lowest yearly average was 1997, if we had a team like that, performing like they did, no doubt we'd get a sell out most weeks nowadays
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Mainly it was the weather that lead to the low crowds in 1997, it was terrible.

The game against Norths that only got 6281, Darren Albert got mild hypothermia from standing on the wing all day. The Souths game in 1997 was terrible weather as well.

The Souths game that had the low crowd was also replacing an earlier scheduled Newcastle vs Souths game that had to be called off because Marathon Stadium was flooded.

Plus in those days it was still the hill, so if you wanted to be covered in bad weather, there was really only the old stand that's just been demolished, I think?
 
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