‘Everyone is just stunned’: How the Knights’ class of ’97 reacted to famous victory

September 29, 2026 — 5:00am

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The middle-aged bloke with the wide-awake ears sitting in the corner of the Wickham Park Hotel in Newcastle with his son on Sunday afternoon watching the Knights v Penrith? It’s not just another bloke.

This is Stephen Crowe, who has many claims to fame – not the least being that he was a member of the famous premiership-winning team of 1997, when the Steel City side beat their much-fancied opponents and minor premiers Manly in one of the most thrilling grand finals of all time after winger Darren Albert crossed the stripe with six seconds to go.

So while on this Sunday arvo everyone else was shouting, cheering, carrying on with every twist and turn of the game, Crowe – as one of the “Kings of the ’Castle of 1997” – was just a little more reserved. He is not just a fan; he is a Knight himself, and feels it in his very bones.

He is not just getting an impression of what is going on; he knows what is going on. He’s been out there, done it all, experienced it all.

And that is why, in the 36th minute, when Knights hooker Phoenix Crossland is sent off for a hip-drop tackle that breaks the ankle of Nathan Cleary, Crowe stands up and, without a word, leaves.

He knows there is only one thing to do. He must walk home. In the rain. Looking for stones to kick. He is resolved not to watching another minute of this disaster in football boots. Red Rover, it’s over. And so are the Knights.

“Of course I did,” Crowe, now the Hunter director of the Property Council of Australia, said on Monday morning about leaving the pub mid-match.

“Just 12 Knights, up against Penrith for the entire second half, with a grand final appearance in the balance? Anyone who........

© Brisbane Times