PACK leader David Klemmer has reassured his Newcastle teammates that what happens in the last round of the regular season counts for nothing in the play-offs.
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The consensus of opinion is that the Knights are on borrowed time as they prepare for their first finals series in seven years, after last week's costly 36-6 loss to the Gold Coast.
That untimely result, parlayed into South Sydney's 60-8 blitzing of Sydney Roosters, means the Rabbitohs will host the Knights - instead of vice versa - in week one of the post-season on Sunday.
Klemmer recalled a similar situation when he was with Canterbury in 2014 and they were beaten 19-18 by the Titans in the last preliminary round.
The Bulldogs regrouped to beat Melbourne, Manly and Penrith successive play-offs before losing the grand final to South Sydney.
"I've shared some stuff with the boys about back in 2014, when I was facing a similar scenario," Klemmer told the Newcastle Herald.
"We went up to the Gold Coast for our last game and lost, but then a week later we won in Melbourne and ended up going on to the grand final.
"It's a new format. It's sudden death and we know we've got to be on our game for the next four weeks."
As disappointed as the Knights were at full-time on Friday night, the mood during Monday's opening training session at McDonald Jones Stadium was overwhelmingly positive.
If Klemmer's attitude is any indication, there is still plenty of belief in Newcastle's squad that they can do some damage at the business end of the competition.
"As a group, we know that when we play our best footy, we can beat anyone," Klemmer said.
"What we need is to do that on a consistent basis. Especially now, because finals football is sudden death and we can't have any slip-ups."
Klemmer said ball control would be the key against the Rabbitohs, whom the Knights have beaten in their past two clashes, both times away from home.
"We need to hold the football," Klemmer said.
"Rugby league is a simple game. If you hold the football, you grind teams down.
"If we can do that from one to 17, that's when we compete and win footy games.
"It brings Pearcey and KP into the game."
Meanwhile, Knights officials are anxiously awaiting news from the NRL integrity unit about the investigation into racial-vilification allegations made against back-rower Mitch Barnett.
Barnett is alleged to have called Titans utility Tyrone Peachey a "black c--t" on Friday night but denies making any such comment.
The integrity unit is understood to have taken statements from both players.
Barnett did not join his teammates on the field at McDonald Jones Stadium on Monday. His fellow players were instructed not to discuss the controversy with journalists during an open media session.
coach Adam O'Brien has reminded them that there is no point dwelling on it.
Instead
"It's something that you train for in the pre-season," Klemmer said.
"That was the goal we set as a group, and now we can tick it off. We've got a couple of other things we want tick off now as well, so it's going to be a big week."
"It was a disappointed changeroom and for the first 24 hours after that," Klemmer said.
"But we've been here before. It's a rollercoaster and when we're on, we're on, and when we're bad, we're bad.
"As a group, we know that when we play our best footy, we can beat anyone.
"What we need is to do that on a consistent basis. Especially now, because finals football is sudden death and we can't have any slip-ups."
