BEST: Richard Williams with Knights memorabilia. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers
RICHARD Williams went to his 200th straight Knights’ home game last night, a streak that seems more incredible the more you think about it.
The game against the Sharks was Mr Williams’s latest in a streak that began in season 1996.
‘‘It makes me feel old,’’ he tells Topics.
Mr Williams, of Wallsend, was 16 when he decided there was no real reason to miss a home game. He took his place in the stands no matter the weather. A stint living on the Central Coast didn’t stop him.
The closest he came to missing a game was in 1997 when he had pleurisy, a condition that affects your breathing and can be an indicator that you have pneumonia.
‘‘I was laid up in bed, and despite my mother’s wishes I snuck out,’’ he says.
These days, Mr Williams usually gets to games with his sister Heather and mate Chris. It blows him away to think how big a part of his life the Knights have been.
He’s reluctant to pick a favourite player from the past 16 years or even a favourite game. When pressed, he settles on Paul Harragon, and the 44-nil win against the Broncos in 2001.
‘‘And any time you beat Manly,’’ he adds, ‘‘is a good week.’’
