IF the Newcastle Knights are to be beaten 38-12, they might as well get it out of their system in a pre-season trial that will have zero impact on the NRL points table.
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While the scoreline after Saturday's hit-out against St George-Illawarra at Maitland Sportsground will have raised a few concerned eyebrows among long-suffering Knights fans, a little perspective might go a long way.
It was the third consecutive year that Newcastle have been upstaged in their annual Maitland trial, after losses to Parramatta (26-6) and Cronulla (30-6) in 2018 and 2019.
But on both those occasions the Knights bounced back to win their season-opener in fine style.
After a scoreless first quarter on Saturday, it was 6-all at the main interval. When play resumed, the majority of Newcastle's starting line-up were on the sidelines, freshly showered, as were their Dragons counterparts.
That the visitors racked up four tries to none in the third quarter was enough of a concern for new Knights coach Adam O'Brien to deliver a few home truths to his second-stringers.
But it seems fair to assume that when O'Brien sifts through the video of the first two 20-minute segments, he will find more positives than negatives.
Newcastle's forwards, led by David Klemmer and Daniel Saifiti, ran with power and purpose, and outside backs Hymel Hunt and Gehamat Shibasaki carried the ball out of their own end just as strongly. New signing Jayden Brailey, in his one-quarter stint, slipped straight into the dummy-half role with a minimum of fuss.
O'Brien admitted the attack was slightly too "clunky" for his liking, but most coaches will be of the same opinion at this stage in proceedings.
Both teams were down on troops, because of injuries and representative commitments, and Newcastle are likely to to welcome back Kalyn Ponga, Connor Watson, Herman Ese'ese, Tautau Moga and Pasami Saulo for Saturday's clash with two-time premiers Sydney Roosters at Central Coast Stadium.
O'Brien said he will "take a smaller bus" to Gosford and allow his main men more minutes, which suggests this will provide a better indication of how the Knights are shaping up for their round-one showdown with the Warriors on March 14.
It remains to be seen, however, how close the Roosters are to full strength, given their preparation includes a return flight from England, after their 20-12 victory against St Helens in the World Club Challenge on Sunday morning (AEDT).
The major disappointment for Newcastle on Saturday night was the knee injury that looks set to sideline back-rower Sione Mata'utia for the immediate future.
Mata'utia was one of the few senior Knights still on the field in the third quarter. He must now be wishing he was in civvies, spectating, like most of his teammates.
"He'll be a loss for us but ... next man up," was coach O'Brien's pragmatic assessment.