How the Bondi sting horror brought cross-code rivals the Roosters and Sydney Swans closer together
- Swans coach John Longmire said the tragedy was ‘so close to home’
- Attack in Sydney’s east saw six victims die from stab wounds
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
Sydney Swans coach John Longmire has revealed he chatted with NRL mate Trent Robinson about their communities supporting each other in the wake of the deadly Bondi Junction attack.
The AFL’s Swans and NRL’s Roosters, along with Super Rugby’s NSW Waratahs, are professional sports clubs most closely associated with the area, all based at nearby Moore Park.
“This is our community,” Longmire told reporters Tuesday, saying the tragedy was “so close to home.”
“These are the people who come and support our clubs and to have it so close to home… it’s a terrible tragedy that has happened in our backyard.”
Longmire said he had spoken to Roosters coach Robinson about the community coming together to support each other as the nation mourns those killed.
Swans coach John Longmire has revealed he spoke to NRL teammate Trent Robinson about their communities supporting each other in the wake of the Bondi Junction knife attack
The Swans are based at Moore Park in Sydney’s east, along with Trent Robinson’s Roosters (pictured) and the NSW Waratahs rugby team
Five women and a man died in Saturday’s stabbing at the Bondi Junction Westfield mall, while seven victims remain in hospital, including an infant girl whose condition has been upgraded from critical to serious.
The killer, 40-year-old Queensland man Joel Cauchi, was shot dead by police at the scene.
“I spoke to Trent Robinson about it last night, you know, these are our clubs’ areas,” Longmire said.
‘It’s only five minutes away and all our kids go there (Bondi Junction Westfield), our children’s families go there, our friends.
The death of Ashlee Good (pictured) hit North Melbourne AFL coach Alastair Clarkson particularly hard as her father Kerry was a club legend
‘We go there, we travel there all the time. And just by a stroke of luck they were – you know, our friends and our family weren’t there, but a lot of people were.’
The AFL club gathered during training on Monday to speak to players and families about the attack and to grieve with the wider Sydney community.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who laid flowers at the site with NSW Premier Chris Minns on Sunday, said it was a difficult time as the nation mourned.
“At the same time, there are extraordinary acts of heroism that we applaud,” Albanese said.
Since the attack, official flags have flown at half-mast, and the sails at the Sydney Opera House were illuminated with a black ribbon on Monday night.
A permanent memorial is being considered near the mall grounds.