These fans go great lengths
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Rugby League followers fly thousands of miles to root for their teams.
By Garry Smits, The Times-Union
College football fans pat themselves on the back for traveling a few hundred miles to support their team at a bowl game.
You want fans who go the distance - literally? Try supporters of the Leeds Rhinos and South Sydney Rabbitohs. They've traveled a combined 13,540 miles (9,364 from Sydney and 4,176 miles from Leeds) to be at Saturday's Rugby League game between the two teams at the University of North Florida.
Peter Holmes a Court, the co-owner of the Rabbitohs, estimated that about 2,000 fans from outside the United States will travel to see the game at Hodges Stadium. According to a survey of ticket-buyers, nine countries will be represented.
Two international travelers are Nick and Zoe Eager, Leeds residents who are in the U.S. for the first time but hardly novices when it comes to following their beloved Rhinos. The Eagers have traveled to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji to watch the Rhinos play during a period of 20 years.
"Some fans think traveling 200 miles is a lot," said Zoe Eager, who was at The Jacksonville Landing on Wednesday with her husband to mingle with the players. "The team is a very important part of our town."
The Eagers are in Florida for the first time and have spent most of the week going to attractions from Jacksonville to Orlando.
"We thought we'd do two things at the same time," Zoe Eager said.
Ally Papadapouls has been a Rabbitohs fan her entire life and got her husband, Larry, so hooked on Rugby League that he's now a part-time assistant coach for the team. She said a combined 22 hours on planes from Sydney to Jacksonville is worth it to see her beloved red and green.
"I've pulled for them my whole life, even when everyone in my family was for some other team," she said. "It was tough getting here, but I wouldn't miss this."
Rabbitohs fans are not only coming from Australia but other countries. Carol Stevens traveled to Jacksonville from Canada to see a team she developed an interest in when she found out that actor Russell Crowe, who's scheduled to attend Saturday's game, was a co-owner with Holmes a Court.
"I usually follow them on the Internet, so I'm going to really enjoy this," she said. "I've never seen a [Rugby League] game in person, so it's going to be fun."
Also excited is Rob Dehaan, a Sydney native who has lived in Jacksonville for seven years. Imagine, Dehaan said, an American living in Australia and finding out that the Jaguars and New England Patriots would be playing a game there.
He and his wife, Lauren, have purchased 12 tickets for themselves and friends to go to Saturday's game.
"Americans would have a lot of pride explaining their game of football to Australians, so you can understand how proud I am that this game is taking place," said Dehaan, who wore a South Sydney T-shirt that said "Don't Taze me, mate."
"Usually, Rugby League teams in Australia don't travel outside the country to play," he added. "This is a huge game for them. The exposure the sport will get here is going to help its popularity."
Fans didn't only travel from outside the U.S. Cathy Gallagher came to Jacksonville from Columbia, Md., and has traveled to Australia seven times. She became a Rabbitohs fan because she was first a Russell Crowe fan, but she also had a son play rugby union.
"When I found out the Rabbitohs would be playing here, I booked the trip in a heartbeat," she said. "Rugby League is such a great sport. ... It goes so much faster than American football."
Don't think the Rhinos and Rabbitohs aren't appreciative of the lengths and miles their fans have gone to see them.
"We have very loyal fans, and we love them for it," the Rabbitohs' Jamie Simpson said. "We're making new fans all the time, thanks to Russell. If people are attracted to the team because of his involvement, that's great. Once they watch the game, they get hooked."
Casey Sinfield of the Rhinos said their fans have followed them to games in European countries such as France and Poland. To see them cross an ocean for one game impresses him and the rest of the team.
"We think we might have a bit of an advantage with the fans we have [Saturday]," he said. "They love us, and we love them."
And in keeping with the best college football tradition, fans already are talking trash.
"We'll completely handle them," Zoe Eager said. "It should be a very easy game for us. We've got the best lads."
garry.smits@jacksonville.com,
(904) 359-4362
TODAY
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Fan Day at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, hosted by the Jaguars. Fans can take a tour of the stadium and receive an interactive explanation of Rugby League and American football.
7 p.m. to midnight: Barons Brewing Australia Day Bash for fans at Walkabout 2 Cafe (14333 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville).
SATURDAY
1 p.m.: Australia Day Challenge between the Rabbitohs and Rhinos. Gates open at 11 a.m.
4 to 7 p.m.: VIP party at Mavericks at The Jacksonville Landing. Tickets for the event are sold out.
6 p.m.: Free open-air concert at The Landing.
