{"id":908443,"date":"2026-09-28T10:20:25","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T10:20:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/908443\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T10:20:25","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T10:20:25","slug":"sydney-roosters-nrl-grand-final-how-the-team-hopes-to-bring-joy-to-a-community-still-healing-from-the-bondi-massacre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/908443\/","title":{"rendered":"Sydney Roosters NRL Grand Final: How the team hopes to bring joy to a community still healing from the Bondi massacre"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Christian<\/p>\n

September 28, 2026 \u2014 6:01pm<\/p>\n

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Sydney Roosters local junior Billy Smith remembers visiting a synagogue and meeting Rabbi Eli Schlanger last December. Less than a week later, Schlanger was one of 15 people killed in the Bondi Beach massacre<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The horrific events of December 14<\/a> have not been forgotten by Smith, or the Roosters players who would love nothing more than to win Sunday\u2019s NRL premiership in the hope it will bring some joy to a community still reeling from the trauma of the mass shooting.<\/p>\n

\"BillyBilly Smith knows what a win will do for the Roosters community.Getty Images<\/p>\n

In a week when Newcastle are preparing to ride a groundswell of popular support, with thousands of their fans expected to travel down the M1 to support their team at Accor Stadium in Sunday\u2019s grand final, the Roosters insist they are not without strong community backing.<\/p>\n

Roosters players accept their own supporters might be outnumbered at Sunday\u2019s grand final, but they also know their connection with their suburb has never been stronger.<\/p>\n

\u201cI live five minutes away from where it all happened,\u201d Smith told this masthead. \u201cI wasn\u2019t there that day, but friends and family were on the beach.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the Rabbis who was shot dead, we met four days earlier. It was really close to home. Bondi is the heartbeat of our club. It\u2019s tough when something like that happens in your home.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Bondi massacre devastated the proud community before Christmas.Kate Geraghty<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s sat with us all year. I know Newcastle are riding on a bit of a high at the moment, and their town is getting around them.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut rugby league means a lot to the people of the eastern suburbs. It\u2019s been a tough couple of years, and if we can repay our respects by winning on Sunday, it would be nice.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou never rely on external motivation. Everything we\u2019ve worked towards this year has all been internal. But things like that are bigger than football, and that event, as disastrous and tragic as it was, it does galvanise a community.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur job as the eastern suburbs footy team is to represent the community, and we\u2019ll do it the best way possible on Sunday night and honour the people who were involved in that incident.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"RoostersRoosters players train at Allianz Stadium on Monday.Jessica Hromas<\/p>\n

The Roosters held a media event at the world-famous beach in the new year to spread the message it was perfectly safe to return. There was also a touching tribute before their first home game against South Sydney in March.<\/p>\n

Alex Ryvchin, the co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, who recently co-authored Bondi Terror: The Tragedy, The Courage, The Aftermath, applauded the Roosters for taking an active interest in the local Jewish community, even before the Chanukah by the Sea massacre.<\/p>\n

\u201cSport is immensely powerful, it doesn\u2019t have the power to bring back the dead, or heal wounds of that severity, but it has the ability to uplift, bring hope, and bring joy to people,\u201d Ryvchin said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo many people in the local area and who were affected are die-hard Roosters fans, and they\u2019ll certainly be cheering them on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\"JamesJames Tedesco speaks to media on Monday.Sitthixay Ditthavong<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s such a beautiful sentiment. They came to us to learn about our community, but we also learned about sport and rugby league and how a club isn\u2019t just a collection of blokes playing footy on the weekend. They\u2019re like us; they\u2019re a community of people who care about each other and are bound together by something.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow our community and their community are one. That\u2019s going to continue for a long time, and we hope they get the win on Sunday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Skipper James Tedesco visited a survivor from the Bondi shootings who had shrapnel in his eye, and remembers the joy the victim felt after being paid an impromptu visit.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Daly<\/a><\/p>\n

Just as Tedesco looked out into a sea of Canberra green during the 2019 NRL decider, the Roosters captain is expecting a lot of love for Newcastle on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone wants a different team to win a grand final \u2013 they don\u2019t want us, or Penrith or the Storm to win a grand final,\u201d Tedesco said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s pretty understandable, as players we get that \u2013 if you\u2019re not supporting the Roosters, you want the Knights or someone else to win.<\/p>\n

\u201cNewcastle have a massive fan base and they love their footy. We have a great community as well. We\u2019ve been through a lot the last year, and we want to represent them well.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve rallied around the community, I feel like we\u2019ve really been involved in our community this year, and our fan base has been great. We know they\u2019ll turn up for us, and that\u2019s all that really matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

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