Knights riding wave of support as fans take over Harbour Bridge
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Injured Newcastle halfback Dylan Brown has declared Monday's takeover of the Sydney Harbour Bridge is just the beginning as excitement builds for the NRL Grand Final.
Hundreds of fans marched across the iconic Sydney site on Monday afternoon before descending on Campbells Cove for the official launch of Grand Final week.
The Knights have been riding a wave of fan support throughout the past couple of weeks to book a showdown with the Roosters at a sold-out Accor Stadium on Sunday.
With both their men's and women's sides qualifying for the grand final, plenty of Roosters fans also turned out for Monday's march to get behind their club's quest for dual premiership glory.
Game breaker: Sandon Smith's match-winning double
Brown watched from the sidelines last weekend as Newcastle qualified for their first decider since 2001 in front of a crowd of 57,000 fans heavily weighted in the Knights' favour.
Another convoy of Sid Fogg’s coaches will make the trip down the M1 this weekend for the sold-out clash at Accor Stadium and Brown said the players are determined to repay their fans with a drought-breaking victory.
"It makes you so happy to see all these fans here on a Monday afternoon," Brown said. "You can't not be happy when you're seeing your fans in a place they deserve to be.
"They've been very patient, spent 25 years waiting and we're here now. We've got one more job to do, nothing's finished yet so we ought to get it done."
Match: Roosters v Broncos
Grand Final -
home Team
Roosters
1st Position
away Team
Broncos
3rd Position
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
Newcastle's clash with the Roosters will cap a bumper triple header at Accor Stadium on Sunday evening.
Penrith and the Dolphins will face off in the State Championship to kickstart proceedings before the undefeated Roosters take on the Broncos in a rematch of last year’s epic NRLW grand final.
Brisbane are determined to send club legend Ali Brigginshaw out with another title while the Tricolours are out to avenge their defeat 12 months ago.
The Knights and Roosters will then take centre stage for the NRL decider with Justin Holbrook's men out to cap a fairytale rise from last year's wooden spoon to a title.
The Roosters are desperate to send veteran Daly Cherry-Evans out with a ring in his final game in the NRL as they chase their first title since 2019.
Brown will miss the match after tearing his ACL in a Round 21 loss to the Tricolours, with former Rooster Sandon Smith starring since stepping into the No.7 jumper.
A New Zealand international, Brown has experienced some all-time atmospheres throughout his playing career and he's expecting Sunday night to climb straight to the top of the list.
"It will be a bit like the Pacific Championships," Brown said. "People have seen the Tongan games, it's going to be like that on Sunday. It will be a red sea of Knights fans and there will be a lot of flags flying.
"We'll have to give them a good game. The Roosters have a great squad and deserve to be here so it's going to be a great game to experience."
After 4 weeks of thrilling finals, it all comes down to this. One play can define a season. These are the moments that matter. Don't miss a second of the action with kick-off at 7.30pm Sunday night live on Nine, 9Now and Sky Sports NZ.
