EVERY time he had a chance to leave Newcastle and join another club for more money, Steve Simpson stayed loyal and stayed put because he could never imagine playing against the Knights.
Wayne Bennett, the man who almost coached Simpson in the 2005 Australian Tri-Nations squad, reckons that decision to stay and play all 216 of his NRL games in Newcastle would mean more to the 30-year-old international with every passing year.
Bennett paid tribute to "the bloke from Broke" after his Dragons spoiled Simpson's farewell party with a 26-18 victory over the Knights in front of a sell-out crowd at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Saturday night.
Most of the 23,148 supporters had come to pay their respects to the unrelenting, unassuming former NSW and Australian second-rower, who retired earlier this month because of a chronic knee injury that had dogged him for the past four years.
"We picked him in the 2005 Australian team as well but he couldn't go away . . . at the time," Bennett said.
"I always admired him and the way he played the game. He was tough, uncompromising, and was also admired by his opponents, which I think is the greatest rap you can get.
"They all had great respect for him, and he was a great warrior here at this club and he was in that warrior category. He had a lot of injuries in the latter part of his career but he always gave his best.
"I think he'll feel extremely proud about his career but more importantly, he'll be a lot prouder he stayed at one club all his life. In later years, that will mean a lot to him."
Holding his 22-month-old daughter Isla, with his three-year-old son Roy rolling on the ground or running around nearby, and wife Jacqui looking on proudly from the western concourse, Simpson took centre stage before kick-off.
Spectators were treated to some of his career highlights on the big screen, then he walked a lap of honour to a standing ovation.
Coach Rick Stone was disappointed the team could not find the line for their former teammate and more than 100 other "Once-A-Knight" Old Boys, but Simpson praised the team for fighting back from a 22-0 deficit.
"I said to the boys, they showed a lot of character the way they came back in that second half, and I think they did the club proud and themselves proud, especially against a good side like the Dragons," Simpson said.
"Obviously the semi-finals are out of the question now, which is disappointing, but I think the boys will be a better side for a game like this one. They'll take a lot of belief out of coming back the way they did against the top side."
Like fellow Knights legends Andrew Johns (neck), Paul Harragon (knee) and Danny Buderus (arm) before him, injury denied Simpson the chance to play in his sign-off game.
Before he announced his retirement, the title-winning workhorse was offered the chance to make a swansong appearance in the last home game but typically politely declined because he knew he could not give his best.
"I was probably even more nervous than if I was playing, so it was a nervous drive down. But to see a packed house, and for the boys to play as well as they did, especially in that second half, it meant a lot to me. It's something that I'll never forget," Simpson said.
"I couldn't have asked for anything more, and I'm certainly looking forward to coming back next year as a supporter.
"I've been involved at the club for 14 years - a couple of years at junior level and 12 at the senior level - so it's been pretty much half my life. It's a place and a club I hold very close to my heart, so it certainly means a lot to me, to come back and say farewell. It's been great."
Email a friend