ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys has thanked NSW Premier Chris Minns for scrapping planned trackwork that threatened to cause grand final chaos for tens of thousands of Newcastle fans as the NRL decider sold out on Monday morning.
V’landys rang Minns early on Monday morning when the prospect of buses replacing trains between Newcastle and Wyong on Sunday was raised with NRL officials.
The Knights’ grand final run after claiming the wooden spoon in 2025 ranks as one of the unlikeliest stories in rugby league history, and has left transport officials scrambling.
Plans are set to be finalised on Monday for trains to run between Newcastle and Sydney, with V’landys forecasting an influx of more than 30,000 Knights fans as ticket sales for Sunday’s decider were exhausted shortly before midday.
“Chris Minns is one of the most can-do people you’ll ever see,” V’landys said.
“If it’s possible, he’ll get it done. And he wasn’t going to let 30,000-plus Newcastle fans down, so he immediately rearranged the trackwork.
“The NRL and Newcastle fans cannot be more appreciative of that action.”
Transport NSW officials have indicated that the scheduled works for Sunday are set to be moved to another day to accommodate increased commuter demand from the Hunter.
Knights fans already experienced drama getting to their team’s preliminary final on Sunday after an issue with a freight train at Warnervale led to delays and cancellations.
But those who reached Accor Stadium made their voices heard as the Knights beat Penrith 22-14 despite playing more than half the game with only 12 men on the field.
Two-time premiership winning Knight Mark Hughes said the team’s fans had stuck by them as they collected wooden spoons during the past decade.
“The team this year have shown so much resilience, and our supporters have shown just as much,” Hughes told 2GB on Monday.
“And even yesterday, the trains were failing, it was raining, there were queues, but it didn’t worry us. We got there, and we got it done.”
He predicted a similarly sizeable turnout this weekend when the Knights take on the Sydney Roosters.
“There’ll be a red and blue army takeover of the stadium and our boys will give it their all,” Hughes said.
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Jack Gramenz is a breaking news reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.From our partners
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