A new mindset under a rookie coach has helped Newcastle big man Daniel Saifiti achieve the best statistics of his NRL career in a monster performance against Penrith.
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The 24-year-old State of Origin prop played a whopping 70 minutes in the 14-14 draw with the Panthers, emerging as a leader in the Knights pack.
Typifying a new focus on defence, Saifiti made 45 tackles - the most in his NRL career - coupled with 217 running-metres, which was his highest tally since round 11, 2016.
Knights legend Andrew Johns described the team's performance as the bravest he had seen from his former club, and Saifiti puts it down to a new mentality ushered in by coach Adam O'Brien.
It's a sense of belief in the team that has been missing for years.
"There were times last year when we were in the same situation, and I was probably part of it, people were looking towards guys like (Mitchell) Pearce and (Kalyn Ponga) to break the game open," he said.
"(Now) when both of them aren't on the field, everyone has the mindset of 'I can contribute to doing something good here'.
"Not having any winning seasons, we know what that negative mindset is and the longer we stay away from it, the longer we can go without it."
The Knights Origin props, including David Klemmer and Tim Glabsy, will hunt as a pack in 2020, while Saifiti wants to improve his quality of stats over quantity against competition favourites Canberra on Sunday.
Saifiti's twin Jacob has also started the season with a bang after an injury-interrupted 2019 in which he broke his leg during a pub fight and played just seven NRL games.
"In the off-season we talked and he said he felt like he wasted three years," Daniel said. "I told him not to look at it like that, it's a learning curve.
"He saw it as a new start, with Adsy (coach O"Brien) coming in it was like a breath of fresh air and he trained the house down. I'm so proud of him and the way he's played the first three games is a reward for that."
Meanwhile, Penrith star Viliame Kikau insists he remains healthy despite re-aggravating a shoulder issue against the Knights.
Kikau had a scare when he fell awkwardly following an attempted tackle that resulted in a concussion test.
The Fijian returned to the game, but revealed on Wednesday that his main issue was a repeat of a serious stinger he wore in their season-opener.
"The body's feeling good. I just had that stinger on the same shoulder that I did against the (Sydney) Roosters in round one," Kikau said. "I had my head in the wrong place there and had a stinger again. It wasn't a concussion. They took me off for that. I passed my test."
Asked whether the shoulder issue would have to be managed for an extended period of time, Kikau said: "No. It's just a stinger.
Kikau's inclusion is a must for a Panthers side that struggled to create points against an undermanned Knights.
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