IT WAS a day at the footy field these little fans won't forget anytime soon.
Behind the scenes at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle, they met skipper Kalyn Ponga in the very dressing sheds the Newcastle Knights get geared up in.
Kids flocked to the stadium on Tuesday afternoon for youth workshops.
Leo McGlynn, 8, and his little brother, five-year-old Max, reckoned Ponga could teach them a thing or two.
"How to do 100 intercepts in a game - he knows how," Leo told the Newcastle Herald.
Max added that Dom Young wasn't bad at intercepts either.
Leo and Max play touch football and Leo has just had a successful first season of tackle.
"My favourite part is when I score tries," Max said.
Leo agreed.
"We want to play for the Knights," Leo said.
They love the Newcastle Knights - they're big fans, have fun at live games, and have always been excited to meet the players.
They waved enthusiastically when Ponga walked into the dressing sheds to meet them.
"They are always so happy when they win, and we get to take photos with them," Leo said.
Kruz Henderson, 11, and his little sister, seven-year-old Livy, also got to go behind the scenes with Ponga ahead of their workshops.
When asked what Ponga and the boys could teach him, Kruz replied "everything".
"All the players, the people, the sport, I love it," he said.
His dream is to play for the Knights and in the State of Origin.
Ponga said playing in front of sell-out home crowds last season, knowing the next generation was watching, was special.
"It's why we love being a Newcastle Knight," he said.
"Our community is what drives us, we're a community-based club, and to have kids there that we know we inspire, to see them cheering is awesome as well."
