From Queensland to the Shire, this Roosters fanatic is all in for the ‘battlers from Bondi’

September 30, 2026 — 11:45amSydney Roosters superfan Thomas Hayes has a near life-long love for the team, framed and signed jerseys, and now even a slice of the side’s homeground for many years in his own backyard.His “tragic” level of support for the Roosters extends as far as the team’s vehicular sponsor.Roosters superfan Thomas Hayes with daughters Naomi and Nalani, and dog Snow. Oscar Colman“I ended up buying a BYD Shark,” he told this masthead.“I’ve got to be in this, all in. I bought the Shark.”It’s the only shark he’ll support. Despite living in the Shire for many years he’s managed to avoid falling into the Cronulla team’s orbit, though his daughter is a fan.“I let my daughter do the barracking, I just back off and behave myself.”Thomas Hayes with his BYD Shark 6 ute.Oscar ColmanBut his Engadine home now hosts a slice of the eastern suburbs. Hayes was one of three lucky Sydneysiders to win a small patch of the ground the Roosters called home for many years.Yates horticulturalist Angie Thomas spoke to this masthead in between delivering 60cm x 30cm patches of the hallowed turf to competition winners around the city on Tuesday.“The groundskeepers at the SCG were great in digging this turf up as part of their usual renovations between the football and the cricket season.“We’ve managed to put it in the back of the ute and transport it. It’s still quite moist, so it’s all good as long as it gets put into the ground or into a pot.”Arthur Beetson and Tommy Raudonikis in the dressing room at the SCG after an Easts v Wests match in 1974.John O’GreadyHayes has a spot in the yard he’s been saving for a special occasion. Now it’s a reminder of the hallowed ground where he’s watched memorable pink cricket Tests, about a dozen Roosters games while the Sydney Football Stadium was rebuilt, and the place where he celebrated his 50th birthday.The 54-year-old’s Roosters fandom is nearly life-long. Hayes adopted the team aged about eight, watching via his uncle’s television in Queensland at a time when the eastern suburbs team served as something of a surrogate club for those north of the border. Rugby league immortal and Queensland legend Arthur Beetson served the club as a player and a coach, sometimes simultaneously.“They weren’t the best team at the time – I just knew they were the ‘battlers from Bondi’ – but grew to love them.“It was kind of like a home away from home when I moved to Sydney to know there were heaps of Queenslanders there, but more importantly they’re just a fantastic side, a fantastic culture,” Hayes said.Thomas Hayes expects Newcastle to target Roosters half Sam Walker.NRL ImageryWhich naturally brings us to Sam Walker, the young Roosters halfback with at least one of his ambidextrous hands grasped on the Maroons number seven for the forseeable future.Hayes expects the Knights will target the diminutive half on Sunday.“They’re going to try and shut him down. I think he will tear it apart but he needs to play his own game.”“Most important thing is we’ve got plan A, B, C, D and E. If things go wrong we’ve got Hugo Savala that can jump in there.”Newcastle’s Sandon Smith during his Roosters “apprenticeship”.Hayes is hoping the Knights don’t win the game but he reckons they’ve already won the Roosters’ respect.“The Roosters would have watched all the other teams that played Newcastle and thought … maybe they’ve taken them for granted, maybe they thought they were just going to win if they walked out there.“I don’t think the Roosters are going to take that same chance.”The Knights’ unlikely run to Sunday’s grand final brought back memories of the 2010 Roosters for Hayes, who watched them come from the wooden spoon to lose to the St George Illawarra Dragons on the last day of the season.“That was a magnificent team that came from nowhere and the city was behind them, but spirit can only get you so far,” Hayes said.But the Roosters will take some credit for how fortunes turned around in the Hunter.“We gave them Sandon Smith – a Roosters junior – and we gave an apprenticeship to [coach] Justin Holbrook, we’ll take a little bit of credit,” Hayes joked.“I think Roosters are just really happy for Newcastle to be in there, but that’s as far as it will go until they run out on the pitch.”He’s backing the Roosters to repeat Brisbane’s feat the previous season with a win in the NRLW’s curtain-raising grand final as well.News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Friday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.From our partners