In memory of ‘Pop’, fan clan powers Panthers

The pubs in Sydney will be silent on Sunday. But the noise in loungerooms across city will be deafening.

Phalen Cassan, centre, and part of Robert Dunlop’s clan. Picture: Ryan Osland

The pubs in Sydney will be silent on Sunday. But the noise in loungerooms across city will be deafening.

In Sydney’s western suburbs, no fewer than 42 members of the Dunlop family will be carrying the torch for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL grand final, albeit watching on TV in their own homes due to social distancing.

Family fervour is the legacy of lifelong Panthers fan Robert Dunlop, who passed away last year at 84, sparking renewed interest in the team in his honour. The day restrictions lifted for hotels and clubs in June last year, he watched at the pub with mates as the Panthers demolished the New Zealand Warriors 24-0. He died in his sleep that night.

“He got to see his mates for the first time in a long time and then that was the last time they got to see him,” granddaughter Phalen Cassan says. Now his three children, 12 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren are part of the Panthers’ tribe.

The day after his passing, Ms Cassan and her 21-year-old nephew, Jake, purchased Panthers jerseys inscribed with “Pop” and “20”, signifying the year he passed. Two days later the rest of the family had theirs too.

Across town, Souths supporters Belinda Surjadi and husband Tom will also be screaming at the TV in their Banksia home in Sydney’s south.

Tom’s love for the red and green began while growing up in a Marrickville housing commission, where he’d play footy after school with his mates. After the couple met in 2013, they would always watch the game at the pub with friends or from the comfort of their lounge room.

At first Belinda wasn’t a huge of a fan of the game but her love developed over the years. Her love for the Bunnies has helped her through the lockdowns. “I don’t have any Bunnies tattoos, but I yell … just as loud as anyone else from the Burrow would.”

During the finals, a neighbour heard so much screaming during a game they told Tom the next day they weren’t sure he’d “make it out alive”.