Jed Smith

Long before a ball is kicked at Henson Park, match day begins in Marrickville pub the Henson over an ice-cold schooner of locally brewed Young Henrys where punters discuss the day’s game and the resurgence of this beloved working class rugby league team. “Newtown have always been the perennial battlers,” says longtime fan Luke, 28, from Canada Bay. “The community has always had that ‘Up the Jets!’ attitude." The ‘Bluebags’, as they were originally known, have one of the most storied histories in rugby league. As one of the game’s foundation clubs, they first took to the field in 1908 alongside the likes of Eastern Suburbs and South Sydney, going on to win three premierships in the top tier (in 1910, 1933 and 1943). They were kicked out of the league in 1983 due to financial reasons and they have spent the subsequent decades playing in lower-tier rugby league competitions. One hundred years since their inception, they now find themselves in the second-tier in the Intrust Super Cup, a breeding ground for NRL’s up-and-coming talent. The future of the Jets is looking brighter than ever. “They’ve got a good team at grassroots level and a great succession plan for juniors. The players have bought into it and l think the community has bought into it. The crowds are going to get bigger and bigger,” says Luke.     Raffle ticket seller Christine, 50, from Leichhardt, agrees. “It goes off,” she says. “The hipsters are starting to get into all that stuff [too]. They love it. It’s the wh