- Swans coach John Longmire says tragedy hits ‘so close to home’
- Attack in Sydney’s east saw six victims die from stabbings
Sydney Swans coach John Longmire has revealed he spoke with his NRL counterpart Trent Robinson about supporting each other from their communities in the wake of the deadly Bondi Junction stabbing.
The AFL’s Swans and the NRL’s Roosters, as well as Super Rugby’s NSW Waratahs, are professional sporting clubs most closely associated with the region, all based near Moore Park.
“This is our local community,” Longmire told reporters Tuesday, saying the tragedy was “so close to home.”
“These are the people who come to support our clubs and for it to be so close to home… it’s a terrible tragedy taking place in our backyard.”
Longmire said he spoke to Roosters coach Robinson about the community coming together to support each other as the nation mourned those killed.
Swans coach John Longmire has revealed he spoke with his NRL counterpart Trent Robinson about their communities supporting each other in the wake of the Bondi Junction stabbing.
The Swans are based at Moore Park in Sydney’s east, along with Trent Robinson’s Roosters (pictured) and NSW Waratahs rugby team.
Five women and one man died in Saturday’s stabbing attack at Bondi Junction Westfield shopping centre, while seven victims remain in hospital, including a little girl, whose condition has been upgraded from critical to serious.
The killer, Joel Cauchi, a 40-year-old man from Queensland, was shot dead by police at the scene.
“I was talking to Trent Robinson about it last night, you know, those are our club areas,” Longmire said.
“It’s only five minutes away and all our kids go there (Bondi Junction Westfield), our kids’ families go there, our friends.
The death of Ashlee Good (pictured) has hit North Melbourne AFL coach Alastair Clarkson particularly hard as his father Kerry was a club legend.
“We go there, we travel there all the time. And by chance, they… you know, our friends and family weren’t there but a lot of people were.
The AFL club gathered during training on Monday to speak to players and their families about the attack and to mourn alongside the wider Sydney community.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who laid flowers at the scene with NSW Premier Chris Minns on Sunday, said it was a difficult time as the nation grieved.
“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 of the Sydney Opera House were illuminated with a black ribbon on Monday evening.
A permanent memorial is planned near the mall site.
