- NRL teams pay tribute to victims of Bondi Junction tragedy
- Six people died after a frantic attack by Joel Cauchi, 40 years old
- The Roosters and Storm paid tribute Thursday night
The Sydney Roosters and Melbourne Storm held a minute’s silence on Thursday as the two football teams played for the first time since the horror Bondi Junction attack.
Six people died as a result of a stabbing spree by Joel Cauchi at Westfield Bondi Junction, a local shopping center for the Roosters football club.
Last Saturday’s incident shocked all of Australia and sent the nation into mourning, with tributes pouring in from the world of sport.
And ahead of their return to the football paddock for the first time since the tragedy, the Roosters and Storms gathered for a minute of reflection.
The fans present at the Allianz Stadium remained impeccably silent.
The Roosters stars also wore black armbands as a sign of respect.
Sydney Roosters pay tribute to six victims of Bondi Junction attack
The Roosters and Melbourne Storm held a minute’s silence on Thursday night.
AFL club Sydney Swans will do the same when they play the Gold Coast Suns on Sunday.
“This is our local community,” Swans coach John Longmire told reporters on Tuesday, stating that the tragedy hit “very 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 unfolded in our backyard.”
Longmire said he had spoken to Sydney Roosters coach Robinson about the community coming together to support each other as the nation mourns those killed.
Five women and a man died in Saturday’s stabbing at the Bondi Junction Westfield shopping centre, while seven victims remain in hospital, including a girl, whose condition has improved from critical to serious.
The Bondi club wore black armbands as a sign of respect after the shocking attack.
The killer, 40-year-old Joel Cauchi from Queensland, was shot dead by police at the scene.
“I was talking to Trent Robinson about this last night, you know, these 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. We go there, we travel there all the time. And just by a stroke of luck, they… you know, our friends and family weren’t there, but a lot of people were.”