A piece of individual brilliance by the Eighth Immortal was all it took to convert Dom Tanner to be a Newcastle Knights fan for life.
Fresh from South Africa, he’d followed rugby union for more than 40 decades.
However, seeing Andrew Johns put the Manly Sea Eagles to the sword in the famous 1997 decider caught his attention – and the Hunter-based organisation claimed member 3,949,124.
“I’ve been a [Knights] supporter since 2001,” Tanner said.
“My wife is a Novocastrian and I came over here for a holiday.
“The first video I watched was the 1997 grand final – I was like ‘yeah, whatever’.
“But, then, I saw this little bloke with the No 7 on his back do some crazy things.
“I got interested [in the game].
“I actually thought the fixture was over, then this Johns fellow made a break and passed it to winger Darren Albert who scored the match-winner in the dying moments.
“From that point on, I was hooked.
“The funny thing now is when there’s rugby union on, unless it’s the Springboks or my local side the Stormers, I don’t watch it.
“I switch over and pay attention to two NRL teams playing.
“I’m a self-confessed NRL tragic.
“It’s more free-flowing, it’s fun and we’ve been Knights members for three or four years now.
“We [my family] just go mad for them.”
Tanner’s commitment to the “blue and red” army is obvious to witness, with his sons Declan, 11, and Quinn, 9, also following in his footsteps.
And, he’s equally impressed by his fellow supporters’ dedication to their club.
“Passion – that’s the key word,” he said.
“The passion shown by the town that gets them going; the passion shown by the players.
“It’s mind-blowing.
“You’d have no problem making up another two teams of Novocastrians playing in the NRL.
“There is an abundance of talent in the Newcastle Rugby League competition.
“In fact, this town’s awesome for sport.
“There are a lot of kids coming through, too, but there’s someone in front of them.
“So, they have to go somewhere else.
“When you read up on all the players who hail from the Hunter – like Payne Haas and Tevita Pangai Jr – you go ‘wow’, the list is endless.
“However, the support for the Knights is incredible.
“Even when the team is down and out, they still attract 15,000 to 20,000 people to the ground.
“And, they’re always shouting ‘Newcastle, Newcastle’.
“I still remember hearing my first [Newcastle] chant.
“I think it occurred on 10 March 2001 – Johns returned from injury against the Cronulla Sharks (at Marathon Stadium).
“The Knights won 12-10, with Joey scoring under the posts.
“I was just sitting on the old hill and the crowd started chanting ‘Newcastle’.
“I thought ‘what’s going on?’
“It was an awesome experience to be a part of.”
Although the Knights are preparing for their second consecutive finals series appearance, this weekend, Tanner believes the best is yet to come.
And, coach Adam O’Brien’s the man to lead them to success.
“I’m very happy but we just need to be patient,” he said.
“A lot of people slag him [O’Brien] off unfairly.
“I know we want a coach to come in and win straight away.
“However, let’s be patient.
“I love what Adam’s doing. But, we need small steps to bigger things.
“I feel he’s doing that slowly.
“It’s only my opinion, however he’s building nicely and heading north.
“That where you want to go.
“It’s exciting times ahead – and I’m glad the club’s re-signed him as well.”
After securing a spot in the top eight, the Knights face old foes Parramatta in the second elimination final on Sunday 12 September.
And, the Eels hold no fears to the Newcastle outfit, according to Tanner.
“Anything’s possible,” he said.
“With sixth meeting seventh, I knew we’d be against the Eels.
“Then I thought ‘do we want to play Manly?’
“We like to beat the Sea Eagles because we hate them.
“However, I suppose we detest everyone,” he added with a laugh.
“I think we need to believe in the team.
“It just takes one moment of magic on the field to click the entire side into action.
“We can destroy anyone on our day.
“The boys must do the little things right and just go for it.”
Even though the Knights are currently housed in Queensland, due to COVID-19 restrictions in NSW, the club’s loyal local fan base remains vocal.
“It’s great to see supporters sending messages to the guys,” Tanner said.
“They’ve let us know they’re playing for us.
“So, it’s important to show we’re there for them.
“Being away is making the squad grow as individuals and as a team.
“But, when they return home, and play at McDonald Jones Stadium with the fans behind them, they’re going to go up another gear.
“I think the next two-to-three years will be pretty awesome.”
As for Tanner’s favourite player, it’s clearly obvious.
Widely considered one of league’s greats, Johns donned the Knights guernsey on 249 occasions between 1993 and 2007.
It that time, he scored 80 tries and kicked 917 goals, registering a personal tally of 2176 points.
“I’ve never seen anyone like Joey, especially the way he perfected that banana kick,” he said.
“I was talking to Mark Hughes about it a couple of years ago.
“Joey would get the ball from the scrum and kick it – he’d be on the left touchline but he’d connect it on the right-hand side of his boot.
“However, it would land midfield and Hughes would run through and catch it on the full to score under the posts.
“Mark’s a legend, too.
“Of today’s players, I like Kalyn Ponga, as do my boys.
“We’ve got jerseys for them with the No. 1 on the back.
“But, I’m also a big fan of Bradman Best.
“He hasn’t tapped any of his potential yet – he’s going to get bigger, stronger and way better.
“He’s a beast.
“In fairness, we just love the Knights, no matter who’s playing for them.”
WHO PLAYS WHO IN NRL FINALS, WEEK ONE (All times AEST)
FRIDAY, 10 SEPTEMBER
First Qualifying Final
1 – Melbourne v 4 – Manly at Sunshine Coast Stadium, 7.50pm
SATURDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER
First Elimination Final
5 – Sydney Roosters v 8 – Gold Coast at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, 5.40pm
Second Qualifying Final
2 – Penrith v 3 – South Sydney at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, 7.50pm
SUNDAY, 12 SEPTEMBER
Second Elimination Final
6 – Parramatta v 7 – Newcastle at Browne Park, 4.05pm
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