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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
Health
Jessica Belzycki

'Simply the best: lifelong Life Without Barriers Knights fans get excited

Kyle Smee has been a die-hard Knights supporter since the very beginning.

He's been a fan since he was born in 1988, the same year the Newcastle team first ran onto the field.

"I'm turning up everyday with a Knights shirt on," he said.

"I actually started crying with how close it got to the end last week."

In a Henny Penny Knights shirt, Mr Smee joined others supported by disability provider Life Without Barriers to decorate their Newcastle office in red and blue on Thursday.

His home almost looks like the inside of a club shop, Mr Smee's support worker, John Foster, said.

"I've got the bedspread, the clock, I've got bobbleheads, I've got every single membership hat," Mr Smee said.

He said he'd also snagged a football with autographs from the original Knights team.

As the Hunter Street office was adorned with balloons and streamers, the Life Without Barriers busking group, Fireflies, thought it was only appropriate to sing Tina Turner's The Best and Silverchair's Straight Lines.

Fireflies member Cameron Howard said the Knights were his favourite team "in the whole wide world".

He was hoping for a win and was feeling very good about them making it to the grand final.

Belinda Roche said she had been a Knights fan for 25 years, and was feeling "awesome" about Sunday's game.

"Go boys, bring home the premiership," she said.

Life Without Barriers' manager for foster and kinship carer experience, David Meree, said the team wanted to be able to make the people they support feel a part of the Knights fever sweeping Newcastle this week.

"One of the things we love about the Knights is just that sense of community," Mr Meree said.

"It is all about ensuring that they're part of the community and a part of something that is very mainstream," he said.

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