The Leonard boys won't forget this experience in a hurry - and they can thank the woman they orbit like she is a benevolent sun.
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Jason Leonard and his father, Trevor, and his sons, Zack and Riley, got the type of surprise that lingers long in the best way when Jason's wife, Therese, snapped up four tickets for the Warriors-Knights clash at Scully Park on Saturday.
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In doing so, she set in motion a boys day out with chilli-like extra zing: three generations of Leonard boys attending their first NRL match together.
Jason lives at Werris Creek and is the brother-in-law of former Knights star Matt Parsons, who coached the Creek's first-grade side last season and will also be at the match (Jason is the side's first-grade trainer).
She said: 'Look, I've got four tickets to the footy.
- Jason Leonard
Jason said: "I was quite surprised she got them [the tickets]. She came home and she was very pleased ... She said: 'Look, I've got four tickets to the footy.'"
He added: "I sort of thought that being a bit exclusive, we're no chance. But she obviously did the homework and got the tickets, which is great."
Jason said the match was "the type of thing you remember for a long time". "And we don't get many opportunities for this type of stuff in Tamworth, really."
Trevor is a former Werris Creek captain, while Jason and Zack have also played senior footy for the club.
"The old man's a massive football tragic," Jason said. "He ummed and ahed at first [about going to the match] because of all the virus restrictions.
"But Wests seem to be on top of stuff, and we're looking forward to it, for sure. The venue's first class."
Jason is "a bit of a Knights fan". "And I've got a bit of a soft spot for the Warriors now because they've embraced Tamworth a bit.
"So all round it's gonna be a pretty good game of football - and the Warriors have got to be a chance of beating the Knights."
The Henderson family - dad Peter, mum Lynette and sons Mitchell and Charlie - will also be at Scully Park on Saturday. Mitchell played in the Knights' title-winning Harold Matthews Cup side last year, while Charlie was part of the Knights' under-15 development squad last off-season.
Peter, who lives near Dungowan, said: "It's always great having these games in the area, promoting Tamworth and the regional areas. So yeah, we're excited about not having to travel ... to see a high-quality game."
