Opinion
“You. Are. The. Best!”
The young boy’s voice broke with emotion as he screamed that final word, which simultaneously occurred with Edrick Lee planting the ball down for what was his third try of Friday night’s game, right on the stroke of halftime.
It was a moment which made me smile and not just because that try gave me that rarest of feelings for a Novocastrian – confidence in victory – but because it reminded me of just how special Eddie is to the fans of his club.
Especially the young fans.
When Lee signed for the Knights ahead of the 2019 season, I was apprehensive about his recruitment.
Really? The guy who made three critical errors for Canberra in their 2016 match against the Storm to arguably see the Raiders bounced from the finals?
With Shaun Kenny-Dowall on the other flank, didn’t the red and blue have enough big wingers with clangers in them?
My concerns were put to bed in Lee’s very first game for the Knights, the big man making a great read on a Chad Townsend pass to grab an intercept and score the match-winning try against the Sharks with five minutes on the clock and the scores locked at 8-8.
But if I was impressed, my nephew was stunned.
Who was this flying giant, with the long limbs, cornrows and a smile as bright as the stadium lights?
In what was a season of uncertainty on the field for the Knights, my brothers, mates and I could be guaranteed that in between young James Frost’s enjoyment of sitting in the highest (and therefore worst) seats in the Andrew Johns stand, the unbelievable joy that could be found in pulling said seats down so as to watch them bounce back up again (as if by magic!) and being fed chips and lollies (the whole point of going to the footy), this three-year-old would find moments of pure delight provided by Lee’s tries and defensive reads.
Lee’s season was ended that year in the club’s Round 15 win over Brisbane, although James saw him at least one more time, Lee making a trip – suited and booted, with his injured arm still in a sling – to the high seats of the ‘Joey’ stand.
We asked James if he’d like to go over and meet his favourite player, but his awe in seeing Eddie that close went hand-in-hand with a huge dose of shyness, so he just shook his head at the offer.
As for what Eddie was doing up in the nosebleeds, he was giving club merch to an unwell child.
It wasn’t exactly a lightbulb moment, but it confirmed for me that Edrick Lee was the new king of the kids in the Hunter.
And I’ve seen plenty of them – I mean, I was a kid in the Hunter who was absolutely obsessed with the Knights – but of all the great try-scoring favourites I’ve seen over the decades, few have captured kids’ imaginations the way Edrick does.
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
And if I can hazard a guess as to why, while his lankiness, his jarring, jamming tackles and his ability to find the line are all major factors, it’s that he just has an aura.
He’s a cool customer, but one who exudes love for his teammates and the game of rugby league.
If there’s a drawback to this aura, it’s that his easy-going attitude can be confused with a lack of care, and that’s just not the case. This guy worked his butt off to get back on the field after a series of foot injuries saw him sit out the entire 2021 season – and all after his last match of 2020 had seen him score a try for Queensland in their Origin series-winning third game.
The timing of the injury couldn’t have been worse either, Lee having earned an Origin call-up as he headed into the last year of his deal in Newcastle, which led to him looking for a new deal – but one which the Knights said they simply couldn’t afford.
His troublesome foot finally healed, he ultimately picked up a one-year extension with the Knights for 2022, on what must have been a cut-price deal compared to what he would have commanded heading to the open market in ’21 as an incumbent Origin-winning winger.
So it was really no great surprise when, in May of this year, Lee secured his longer-term future by signing a two-year deal with the Dolphins.
But back to last Friday night.
I moved seats at the break to go sit with some mates, so I didn’t find out quite how enraptured that young fella who had been sat behind me became as the night progressed and Lee broke the Newcastle Knights’ record for most tries in a game, finishing his evening against the Gold Coast Titans with five.
And yeah, yeah, the Titans are terrible this year, but for a bit of perspective on just how impressive a feat this is, only seven players in the NRL era have scored five tries in a game – Nigel Vagana, Jamie Lyon, Francis Meli, Nathan Merritt, Alex Johnston (twice), Matt Ikuvalu and Josh Addo-Carr (who, granted, managed six but it was in the ’21 season of ridiculous attacking records).
I mean, look at the names that aren’t on that list. Eddie is in some rarefied air.
Closer to home, there was chat that it was a shame a bloke who was leaving had taken the club’s record outright, going ahead of the four-scoring previous best of Darren Albert, Adam MacDougall, Andrew Johns, Cooper Vuna, Aku Uate and James McManus.
Me? I was stoked for the guy.
Edrick Lee has been a shining light since he came to Newcastle, in what has been an overall lighthouse few years – moments of searing brilliance, followed by long periods of gloom.
To have him etch his name in the Knights’ record books seems a fitting farewell for a guy who’s earned true cult-hero status on the back of giving it his all and seemingly being a genuinely good guy.
Best of luck in Redcliffe, Eddie. While they’ll be sad to see you leave, I reckon you go with the vast majority of Knights’ fans best wishes.
Of course, your departure is somewhat offset by the emergence of a new, long-limbed winger with an awesome haircut and an ability to find the line, Dom Young surely destined to become the new king of the kids at McDonald Jones Stadium.
Now, where’s the club on Young’s contract extension?
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