DAILY TELEGRAPH
by Barry Toohey
NEWCASTLE Knights hardly needed a wake-up call after a poor 2007 but they were delivered one anyway on Sunday.
The emphatic message from the Newcastle Jets simply read: You are no longer the only show in town.
In the space of just three seasons, the Jets have done the unthinkable.
The new A-League champions have elbowed their way into the hearts and minds of Newcastle's sporting public.
They have stolen a healthy share of the passion and adoration previously reserved only for the Knights.
The evidence?
THE 60-plus bus convoy down the F3 on Sunday to watch the A-League grand final;
THE sea of gold in the stands at a near-capacity SFS;
THE tears and sheer jubilation on the faces of supporters after the 1-0 win over the Mariners; and
THE 2500 strong-crowd that hung around in drizzling rain until after midnight to welcome their heroes home.
OK, so the celebrations may not have quite been on the same scale as 1997, when the Knights took over the city after clinching the ARL grand final and Joey Johns surfed the crowd.
But will anything Newcastle celebrates in the future in any sport ever match that breakthrough first title win and the emotion it generated?
Both clubs say they are not in competition with the other. They play in different seasons for one thing and there is little cross-over of corporate support.
The Knights will have it all to do in just over a fortnight's time when their own campaign begins in earnest.
Article Source: http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23274781-5001023,00.html
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment