'Win, lose, or draw': The Knights faithful brave a winter's night to support their team

The Advertiser

4 days ago

Kurri Kurri's Dean Smith wouldn't have been anywhere else as the patchy grey cloud gathered over McDonald Jones Stadium last night before the Knights and Raiders clashed.
"Win, lose or draw. Rain, hail or shine. We're here," he said.
The Beanies for Brain Cancer round was special, Mr Smith said, and one close to Newcastle's heart, but it was not the only reason he had brought his family, young Portia and mum Kylie Smith, to the game.
Mr Smith runs a footy podcast with a couple of mates, where they talk shop on the latest round. It's picked up a following and now he is keen to funnel that attention into doing something good. The KTP show (formerly Knights Time Podcast - until a few non-Knights followers joined the show) is looking to sponsor a team of Fijian youngsters with jerseys, boots and training gear to help them along on their way.
At the moment, the kids are playing on a roughly ploughed field of mud.
"When you see the kind of life they have over there, it makes you appreciate what we have," Mr Smith said.
On Friday night, he had an armload of Knights merchandise that a follower of the show had asked if he could get signed by the team for a special birthday gift.
"Someone contacted us and said there's a young boy whose a big Knights fan and he can't get the the game," he said. "We put our hand in our pocket and got a couple of pictures, flag and a shirt, to get it signed for the young fella."
"It's the old saying, what goes around comes around. One day, it might be my family or someone who needs a helping hand. If not, you can still bring a smile to a kid's face."
After spending last year's round away, Knights fans were expected to flock to their team's home fortress in a sea of beanies to support the cause.
The team, fresh off a win in Perth last weekend, hit the training field this week sporting their Mark Hughes Foundation beanies to celebrate the spirit of the round.
The ninth Beanies for Brain Cancer NRL round, in which the code partners with Newcastle Knights great Mark Hughes' charity in the fight against brain cancer, was expected to draw between 18,000 and 20,000 Newcastle fans to McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday night.
Partnering with the NRL has since sold more than one million of the foundation's instantly recognisable beanies, funnelling some $35 million into towards research and patient support.
Earlier this week, as the team wore their support onto the training field, club spokesman Frank Barrett said the Knights were chomping at the bit to return to home turf for the round that was close to the team's heart.
The Knights kick off against the Raiders at 8pm, after the after the NSW Cup at 5.30pm.
Kurri Kurri's Dean Smith wouldn't have been anywhere else as the patchy grey cloud gathered over McDonald Jones Stadium last night before the Knights and Raiders clashed.
"Win, lose or draw. Rain, hail or shine. We're here," he said.
The Beanies for Brain Cancer round was special, Mr Smith said, and one close to Newcastle's heart, but it was not the only reason he had brought his family, young Portia and mum Kylie Smith, to the game.
Mr Smith runs a footy podcast with a couple of mates, where they talk shop on the latest round. It's picked up a following and now he is keen to funnel that attention into doing something good. The KTP show (formerly Knights Time Podcast - until a few non-Knights followers joined the show) is looking to sponsor a team of Fijian youngsters with jerseys, boots and training gear to help them along on their way.
At the moment, the kids are playing on a roughly ploughed field of mud.
"When you see the kind of life they have over there, it makes you appreciate what we have," Mr Smith said.
On Friday night, he had an armload of Knights merchandise that a follower of the show had asked if he could get signed by the team for a special birthday gift.
"Someone contacted us and said there's a young boy whose a big Knights fan and he can't get the the game," he said. "We put our hand in our pocket and got a couple of pictures, flag and a shirt, to get it signed for the young fella."
"It's the old saying, what goes around comes around. One day, it might be my family or someone who needs a helping hand. If not, you can still bring a smile to a kid's face."
After spending last year's round away, Knights fans were expected to flock to their team's home fortress in a sea of beanies to support the cause.
The team, fresh off a win in Perth last weekend, hit the training field this week sporting their Mark Hughes Foundation beanies to celebrate the spirit of the round.
The ninth Beanies for Brain Cancer NRL round, in which the code partners with Newcastle Knights great Mark Hughes' charity in the fight against brain cancer, was expected to draw between 18,000 and 20,000 Newcastle fans to McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday night.
Partnering with the NRL has since sold more than one million of the foundation's instantly recognisable beanies, funnelling some $35 million into towards research and patient support.
Earlier this week, as the team wore their support onto the training field, club spokesman Frank Barrett said the Knights were chomping at the bit to return to home turf for the round that was close to the team's heart.
The Knights kick off against the Raiders at 8pm, after the after the NSW Cup at 5.30pm.
Kurri Kurri's Dean Smith wouldn't have been anywhere else as the patchy grey cloud gathered over McDonald Jones Stadium last night before the Knights and Raiders clashed.
"Win, lose or draw. Rain, hail or shine. We're here," he said.
The Beanies for Brain Cancer round was special, Mr Smith said, and one close to Newcastle's heart, but it was not the only reason he had brought his family, young Portia and mum Kylie Smith, to the game.
Mr Smith runs a footy podcast with a couple of mates, where they talk shop on the latest round. It's picked up a following and now he is keen to funnel that attention into doing something good. The KTP show (formerly Knights Time Podcast - until a few non-Knights followers joined the show) is looking to sponsor a team of Fijian youngsters with jerseys, boots and training gear to help them along on their way.
At the moment, the kids are playing on a roughly ploughed field of mud.
"When you see the kind of life they have over there, it makes you appreciate what we have," Mr Smith said.
On Friday night, he had an armload of Knights merchandise that a follower of the show had asked if he could get signed by the team for a special birthday gift.
"Someone contacted us and said there's a young boy whose a big Knights fan and he can't get the the game," he said. "We put our hand in our pocket and got a couple of pictures, flag and a shirt, to get it signed for the young fella."
"It's the old saying, what goes around comes around. One day, it might be my family or someone who needs a helping hand. If not, you can still bring a smile to a kid's face."
After spending last year's round away, Knights fans were expected to flock to their team's home fortress in a sea of beanies to support the cause.
The team, fresh off a win in Perth last weekend, hit the training field this week sporting their Mark Hughes Foundation beanies to celebrate the spirit of the round.
The ninth Beanies for Brain Cancer NRL round, in which the code partners with Newcastle Knights great Mark Hughes' charity in the fight against brain cancer, was expected to draw between 18,000 and 20,000 Newcastle fans to McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday night.
Partnering with the NRL has since sold more than one million of the foundation's instantly recognisable beanies, funnelling some $35 million into towards research and patient support.
Earlier this week, as the team wore their support onto the training field, club spokesman Frank Barrett said the Knights were chomping at the bit to return to home turf for the round that was close to the team's heart.
The Knights kick off against the Raiders at 8pm, after the after the NSW Cup at 5.30pm.
Kurri Kurri's Dean Smith wouldn't have been anywhere else as the patchy grey cloud gathered over McDonald Jones Stadium last night before the Knights and Raiders clashed.
"Win, lose or draw. Rain, hail or shine. We're here," he said.
The Beanies for Brain Cancer round was special, Mr Smith said, and one close to Newcastle's heart, but it was not the only reason he had brought his family, young Portia and mum Kylie Smith, to the game.
Mr Smith runs a footy podcast with a couple of mates, where they talk shop on the latest round. It's picked up a following and now he is keen to funnel that attention into doing something good. The KTP show (formerly Knights Time Podcast - until a few non-Knights followers joined the show) is looking to sponsor a team of Fijian youngsters with jerseys, boots and training gear to help them along on their way.
At the moment, the kids are playing on a roughly ploughed field of mud.
"When you see the kind of life they have over there, it makes you appreciate what we have," Mr Smith said.
On Friday night, he had an armload of Knights merchandise that a follower of the show had asked if he could get signed by the team for a special birthday gift.
"Someone contacted us and said there's a young boy whose a big Knights fan and he can't get the the game," he said. "We put our hand in our pocket and got a couple of pictures, flag and a shirt, to get it signed for the young fella."
"It's the old saying, what goes around comes around. One day, it might be my family or someone who needs a helping hand. If not, you can still bring a smile to a kid's face."
After spending last year's round away, Knights fans were expected to flock to their team's home fortress in a sea of beanies to support the cause.
The team, fresh off a win in Perth last weekend, hit the training field this week sporting their Mark Hughes Foundation beanies to celebrate the spirit of the round.
The ninth Beanies for Brain Cancer NRL round, in which the code partners with Newcastle Knights great Mark Hughes' charity in the fight against brain cancer, was expected to draw between 18,000 and 20,000 Newcastle fans to McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday night.
Partnering with the NRL has since sold more than one million of the foundation's instantly recognisable beanies, funnelling some $35 million into towards research and patient support.
Earlier this week, as the team wore their support onto the training field, club spokesman Frank Barrett said the Knights were chomping at the bit to return to home turf for the round that was close to the team's heart.
The Knights kick off against the Raiders at 8pm, after the after the NSW Cup at 5.30pm.