The word is the magic number is going to be 28. That's how many players NRL clubs are likely to have on fulltime contracts in 2021 as the code counts the cost of COVID-19.
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That figure is down from 30 this season while development contracts could be cut from a maximum of six to half that number or even less. Fewer players means a slightly reduced salary cap.
Across the game, cutting two players from the rosters of all 16 clubs would result in a saving of close to $4 million. Not a massive amount in the scheme of things but it all adds up when you start slicing and dicing in many other areas.
So what's that all mean for the Newcastle Knights?
Well, for one thing, it means there won't be a whole lot of recruiting going on between now and the start of next season.
By my count, the Knights already currently have 24 players signed for 2021. If you count Connor Watson, who is on the verge of inking a new one-year deal, that makes 25.
One of those 25, Tim Glasby, is almost certain to be medically retired and if that is the case, it would leave the club with 24 spots taken up and only four left to fill.
On that list, only two players, Test backrower Tyson Frizell and English teenager centre Dominic Young, will be new faces to the club.
Of the current squad left unsigned, Herman Ese'ese is already headed to the Gold Coast, leaving Aidan Guerra, Josh King, Mason Lino, Tautau Moga, Brodie Jones and Tyronne Roberts-Davis as the players still in limbo.
Given that potential player bonuses earned this season will be added to the Knights' cap in 2021, working out how much money is left to spend on the four remaining spots is problematic.
It's why the club won't be rushing to lock anyone else in until they have more certainty around the actual cap figure and definite player numbers.
More room to move
While there is next to no room for coach Adam O'Brien to revamp the Knights playing roster for next season even if he wanted to, the final year of his current contract in 2022 will be a totally different story.
Almost half the roster, headed by the likes of skipper Mitchell Pearce, Sione Mata'utia, Lachlan Fitzgibbon and Kurt Mann, are off contract at the end of next season.
Cavalry returning
It has been an unprecedentedly tough year for injuries for most NRL clubs with the Knights hit as hard as anyone.
Seven regular top graders - Daniel Saifiti, Jayden Brailey, Connor Watson, Sione Mata'utia, Andrew McCullough, Bradman Best and Edrick Lee - will be missing against the Cowboys tomorrow.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel for Adam O'Brien and his squad as the club looks to cement a finals berth over the next few weeks and build some momentum leading into the big end of season games.
Saifiti should be back for the Warriors next weekend or the Sharks the following week, Mata'utia could return for the Sharks clash or a week later against the Roosters after six weeks off while Best should be cleared to take on the Titans in the final round before the play-offs, which will be almost seven weeks after his ankle surgery.
It has already been eight weeks since Lee suffered a broken arm against Manly with the club hopeful he could return for the Dragons in the second last round or the Titans.
There are even indications out of the Knights camp that while Brailey and Watson are gone for the year, McCullough may not have played his last game for the club as has been suggested and could potentially play a part during the final series, provided Newcastle gets there as is now likely.
Of course, railing against the optimism of getting players back will be the fear of losing others over the final six games.
Knights' second home
The Knights will be treating next Saturday's clash against the Warriors in Tamworth as a 'home away from home' game after building up plenty of goodwill among the locals following the club's week-long pre-season camp in the northern NSW town prior to Christmas.
As well as training, the players spent plenty of time helping out struggling farmers on drought-affected properties while they were in camp.
The club will be giving away 50 tickets to selected locals with Sally McFarlane, a single mother of five who spoke to the squad about her battle with the drought, a special guest of the Knights at the game.
Milking it
Knights coach Adam O'Brien has joined Canberra's Ricky Stuart in calling for players who stay down after being the victims of possible crusher tackles to face a mandatory HIA in a bid to avoid the potential for milking penalties.
"I'm all for the protection of our players and doing everything we can to eradicate the bad and dangerous tackles out of our game," O'Brien told us.
"But the latest crackdown does open the door for abuse. Ricky has suggested the HIA protocols should apply here as well and I'm all for that."
O'Brien believes the majority of crusher tackle cases are largely unavoidable accidents.
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