THE RULE in little Lena Barry's household is that if the Newcastle Knights win, her tiny jersey doesn't get washed.
It had been nine weeks straight since it was last in the laundry when the one-year-old and her parents, Zoe and Josh, went to cheer on the Knights in a must-win semi-final clash on Sunday.
The family had travelled up from the Central Coast to cheer on the team, and Mrs Barry said they were feeling excited and nervous.
"[Lena] loves it, loves waving her flag, and clapping when we score," Mrs Barry said.
Lena wears the jersey every game, and even if her parents aren't home, her carer has to take a photo to prove she's in it for good luck.
She said her message to the Knights boys was to "keep up the good work" no matter what.
Six-year-old Logan Endicott had spent hours on the road with his family to get to Newcastle from his hometown in Gunnedah to back the Knights.
Waving his Knights flag proudly before the gates to McDonald Jones stadium even opened on Sunday afternoon, he told the Newcastle Herald his favourite player was number seven, Jackson Hastings.
And his favourite part about watching the Knights play live? "When they score," he said.
His message to the boys was simple but echoed by thousands as a sea of blue and red formed at the venue.
"Go Knights!" he said.
The Hunter Valley's Georgia Webber is a long-time member of the Knights and said her two little boys, Cooper and Oliver, had been fans since day one.
"When Ollie was a newborn, we'd bring him here and he'd be falling asleep through the cheers and everything," she said.
Now, he's old enough to know he's a big fan of skipper Kalyn Ponga.
"Win or lose, it's just the atmosphere of being here and supporting the Knights," Ms Webber said.
"They've done so great, and we're all behind them."
Crowds decked out in Knights colours flooded to the sold-out stadium on Sunday, with queues snaking through the carpark hours before kick-off.
The Knights won against Canberra Raiders in the semi-final in Newcastle on Sunday.
