Newcastle Knights & NSW Mining | The Heart of the Hunter

One team. One town. One heart beat. 

Footy has been a big part of life in Newcastle for more than 100 years. With clubs founded from the coalfields to the coast with fans far and wide, it’s a game built on hard work and grit.

It doesn’t matter your age, or what job you do - everyone has one thing in common. They all love footy and they all love the Newcastle Knights. 

Fans and the footy. That’s the beating Heart of the Hunter. 

And a new content series from NSW Mining explores the origins of the game in Newcastle and brings together current players, legends and lifelong fans to share their connection with the Newcastle Knights and what makes the game so special.

The Heart of the Hunter Project features players Kalyn Ponga, Jesse Southwell and Yasmin Clydesdale, the club’s first signing Ashley Gordon, the inaugural Chairman Michael Hill as well as fans, content creators and mining families.

Stories will feature on social media in the lead up to the annual Voice for Mining Family Day on Sunday 1st September, when the men’s team plays in the iconic NSW Mining jersey.

Men’s Club Captain and 2023 Dally M Player of the Year Kalyn Ponga feels a close connection to the town and tells us about the type of footy they like to see.  

“They want everything that this town's built on. Grit, toughness, turning up for your mate, tough people making tough choices. When we're playing our best, we're showing those qualities and that's what the town's built on and that's what they want,” Ponga said. 

Shaun Lazenby is a Knights mega-fan and loves following the Club.  

“You'll never truly be able to explain in words the meaning of the Newcastle Knights, especially to me personally. It's something that I fell in love with as a child and I don't think I'll ever stop,” he said. 

“And it must be really really special for a miner to see their favourite player run out in essentially their work wear.”

NRLW halfback and dual premiership winner Jesse Southwell told us she wants to carry the traditions of the players from the past into the modern era. 

“Going back through the years, you won't ever see a Knights team member that didn't show up for each other,” she said. 

“You don't want to let the player next to you down and that's what we've got here written on the walls: be the player that other players want to play with.”

For Blaine Renfrey, a collector of Newcastle Knights memorabilia and a coal worker for over 20 years, footy is a big part of his life.  

“It is a proud moment to actually see what people in the coal industry wear and we can incorporate it into what we love and that is rugby league.” 

NSW Minerals Council CEO Stephen Galilee said the connection between coal mining and rugby league runs deep in the Hunter.

“Like the Hunter region, this football club is built on hard work. And just like footy players, our miners show up for each other every day too,” he said. 

“Clubs in the coalfields like Cessnock and Kurri Kurri started from mining communities and there are many more that still have a close connection to our people and our industry. 

“That’s why this partnership remains so relevant. When the Newcastle Knights wear the mining jersey, they’re representing a big part of the community, and players with roots in the industry that have come before them. 

“So we can’t wait to cheer on the women’s and men’s teams at Voice for Mining Family Day, when footy fans and mining families get together to celebrate the great game of rugby league and all the good things mining brings to NSW.” 

Newcastle Knights CEO Philip Gardner says Heart of the Hunter captures the deep and long-standing connection between mining, rugby league and the Newcastle Knights. 

“The NSW mining industry continues to be a driver of our state and regional economies and enriches the lives of people across our region,” he said.

“We thank NSW Mining for their continued support. Our team will wear the hi-vis mining jersey with pride on Voice for Mining Family Day.”

A special thanks to NBN for the historical footage of the Newcastle Knights.

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