Leathery Bondi Granny Says 60,000 Hysterical Novocastrians Have Got Nothing On The Chookpen

CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT

Bondi-based Chookies diehard, Jen Buckler (73) enjoys seeing her club get overlooked in the lead up to a grand final.

"We want everyone to feel like it's already written" she cackles.

"Because thats their first mistake"

And the lack of coverage surrounding the Sydney Roosters players and fans should worry the Newcastle Knights, given that this is what usually happens before Teddy and the boys stage an upset.

Heading into this weekend’s NRL grand final, The Sydney Roosters fans are well aware that the vast majority of neutral rugby league supporters will be supporting the Newcastle Knights.

It's also clear that the Knights come into this match with a Cinderella story, as the 2025 wooden spooners.

It's been 25 years since the Novocastrians made it into a Grand Final, and everyone is cheering on the blue collar battlers from the steel city.

Everyone except those who claim membership to rugby league's most fanatical supporter group. The Chookpen.

With indecipherable hand-painted slogans that are clearly in-jokes amongst the chookpen and actual chicken outfit - these fans are not intimidated by anyone, and are rarely drowned out.

And with the Sydney Roosters regarded as the affluent white collar NRL club, the Chookpen takes great pleasure in being far feral than any other club - dispelling all stereotypes that Sydney's eastern suburbs doesn't have any genuine rugby league tragics.

As the archetypical leathery Bondi surf club matriarch, Jen Buckler is exactly this.

"I've been supporting the Chookies since Bondi was full of shit" she says.

"Back when Ravesis was a front for a Kiwi heroin empire"

Jen has not missed a Roosters home game in decades - she also claims to have not seen such a big Knights crowd in decades. That's why she's not intimidated by the noise.

"The players might be up to it... But their fans are not" she says

"They haven't felt the sting of a grand final loss before. They don't know how to lose at this level, which means they don't know how to win"

"Big match players are one thing, but does the Knights have big match fans? Do they know how to inspire their boys?!"

"600 in the chookpen equals 60,000 Novacastrians in the nose bleeds"