Cowboys save the day after ticket scammers crush young fan’s Magic Round dream

When cruel scammers crushed a young Cowboys fan’s dream of getting out of hospital to see her beloved team at Magic Round, the club stepped up in a big way — making sure she wouldn’t miss out.

Alex Hanney, 18, pictured in hospital where she has spent the past 22 days recovering from complications following major leg surgery.

When cruel scammers crushed a young Cowboys fan’s dream of getting out of hospital to see her beloved team at Magic Round, the club stepped up in a big way — making sure she wouldn’t miss out.

18-year-old Alex Hanney, a lifelong Cowboys superfan, has spent 22 long days stuck in hospital after complications from major leg surgery.

Born with Coffin-Siris Syndrome, a rare genetic condition affecting physical and intellectual development, Alex underwent life-changing surgery in March to realign both her legs with donated bone.

Magic Round was meant to be her bright spot — a rare day pass out of Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane to watch the team she’s loved since she was little.

But heartbreak hit when her mum, Peta, scraped together money to buy tickets online, only to discover they’d been scammed by a fake Facebook seller.

The money was gone, the tickets were fake, and Alex’s long-awaited escape from hospital looked lost.

After a desperate plea on the Cowboys Stampede Facebook fan page, kind-hearted supporter Taran donated one ticket for Alex — but two more were still needed so her mum and dad could join her and provide the support she needs as a wheelchair user.

After reading about Alex’s story in the Townsville Bulletin, that’s when the Cowboys club itself stepped in.

CEO Jeff Reibel, with the help of the Suncorp Stadium general manager, secured wheelchair-accessible tickets for Alex and her family, telling her simply: “Enjoy the game.”

The family said they were blown away by the kind act, their faith in the kindness of others restored after their run-in with scammers had left a bad taste in their mouth.

Originally published as Cowboys save the day after ticket scammers crush young fan’s Magic Round dream