Knights Preliminary A Long Time Coming For NSW Millennial Who Chose This Team At The Peak Of Joey

CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT

The Newcastle Knights can go all the way, that's according to an extremely hungover Dubbo man in Auckland airport this morning.

Not only that, but they are also showing signs of a winning culture. One not seen since hundreds of thousands of regional New South Wales kids declared their undying support for the red, white and blue in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

This comes as the Newcastle Knights continue their fairytale run, with a glorious victory over the New Zealand Warriors in front of a record crowd of 48,511 at Eden Park.

Team captain Kalyn Ponga has praised the young men in his Cinderella squad, many of whom are now playing a preliminary final in their first ever season of NRL.

The Knights will face Penrith in a blockbuster sudden death at Accor Stadium next Sunday - in what may be the most daunting match the club has ever faced in their many journeys to a grand final.

However, with the Brisbane Broncos having defeated the Panthers in these same exact circumstances last year, there has never been more evidence that all you need to win an NRL Premiership is an underdog siege mentality.

And Newcastle coach Justin Holbrook believes that his men embody this mentality, as they prove that nothing intimidates them.

But it's not just the players that have the belief - so do the fans.

This was more than evident in the terminals of AKL today, as droves of long-suffering Knights fans are starting to get a return on their two decades of emotional investment.

Dubbo bloke, Greg Smith (34) nailed his flag to this mob at the absolute peak of Joey Johns and Chief Harragon. He has felt nothing but near misses and wooden spoons in the years since then.

"It felt like we were on about a decade back" he said.

"But we've learnt how to hurt."

While Newcastle as a city is undeniably Knights territory, the dormant base of regional NSW and the untapped markets of suburba. Sydney are now awakening.

"What we are feeling today is actually foreign and unfamiliar" Greg adds.

The unique pathology of tortured Knights fans is on display with tempered excitement about the weeks ahead, but nobody is yet cheering as loud as they do in a round 23 spoon bowl victory at Mcdonald Jones stadium.