It was already a proud occasion for James McManus celebrating his 150th Club and NRL game on Saturday, but the win certainly sweetened the experience for the veteran winger.
“It was a credit to the boys, they really made it a great day for me,” McManus told Knights TV following his milestone match.
McManus described the entire experience, from having his jersey presented to him by the football manager before the match, to having his picture taken with his baby daughter afterwards at her first Knights match, as incredibly special.
“It was a tough game, you have to be prepared to put your head where it’s going to get hurt against the Warriors,” he said.
“Full credit to everyone who played, everyone put their hand up today.
"We knew we’d get them eventually, we just had to hold on to the ball, complete the sets and get on a roll.
"The first half, we gave up a couple of penalties and let the pressure off when we had the ball down their end a couple of times.
"Some of our kick chases were a bit loose as well.
“They are things for us to work on, but we knew we’d run them down eventually and ended up getting a couple of tries on them late.
“It didn’t happen the way we thought it was going to but it kept working for us."
One of the most striking parts of the day for the 29-year-old was sensing the energy and support from the home crowd during the match.
“You can’t beat the support here in Newcastle,” he said.
“I’ve been lucky and privileged enough to run out in front of them for 150 games now.
“I was really humbled to be able to represent the region, it’s something really special to me.”
