We know it's coming. We know to expect it.

No-one loves confrontation more than their skipper Paul Gallen. I used to love playing with Gal at representative level because he is just the ultimate competitor.

He's tough, takes no prisoners and loves to intimidate and I'm not surprised he enjoys stepping into the boxing ring and testing himself when he gets an opportunity.

Because of the way he plays and the leader he is, the rest of his forward pack generally go along for the ride. Players like Andrew Fifita and Matt Prior always bring plenty of aggression to the table whenever they run out.

That factor alone has played a big part in the Sharks having such a great record over the Knights in more recent times.

I know we struggled to match them aggression-wise last season and I can imagine it was the same story before I came here.

Obviously, the challenge for us is to change that and while it won't be easy, I reckon we now have the big men in the middle who will stick their gloves up and at the very least, make a decent fight of it. 

We have to challenge them physically right across the park.

One thing I can assure our army of fans is we are all pumped for the game. I know I'm jumping out of my skin.

They are a quality side. You don't finish as high up the ladder for the past six years as they have and win a competition in amongst it unless you have plenty going for you.

They have also added Shaun Johnson to their roster this season which has allowed Matt Moylan to go back to fullback and that only makes them more dangerous if we allow them to dominate us up the middle.

We probably got a taste of what they are capable of if we don't stand up to them and respect the footy a few weeks back in the trial at Maitland.  

We haven't wiped the trial from the memory. We have actually spoken a fair bit about it to be honest since. There is obviously a lot of improvement needed. We just need to execute the way we know we can. 

We have to hang onto the ball and give ourselves more chances for starters. We've spoken about the basics, about completing. That was the big one but there were also some defensive issues that needed addressing as well.

How do we turn around a 30-6 scoreline in the space of a few weeks? I can tell you it's not rocket science.

We have to win the physical battle, we have to kick well and complete and if we do that, we'll give ourselves every chance of coming out on top.

If we don't control what we can control well, they are a good enough side to make it a long night for us.

Resilience will be the go-to word for us this season and what needs to be emphasised is it's a long season and this game is just the first brick.

We're playing at home in front of what will be a big crowd and we want to start off with a bang. We really want to win obviously but part of that first brick being laid is being good in the arm-wrestle and playing tough and building pressure.

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For us, with plenty of new players, it's about the process as much as it is about the result.

I am certain of one thing going into the game. We've got a great group of guys together here.

We've created a really good bond in a short space of time and that's only going to get stronger as we experience all the highs and lows.

Rest assured we'll be out there giving it everything against the Sharks.