They say the eagle-cam footage of the game in particular left more than a few players squirming uncomfortably in their seats.

But rather than swing the axe at the selection table on Tuesday, the Knights coach gave several under-performing players a stay of execution, telling them to right the wrong in Wagga or face the consequences.

Struggling centre Enari Tuala is among the 'last-chance' brigade with only the lack of a ready replacement saving his bacon. We're told O'Brien considered playing bench forward Brodie Jones at centre against the Raiders before staying with his specialist.

Not helping the coach's cause is injuries and the club's lack of depth that is something some players seem to be taking some comfort in. But their benefit of the doubt won't last past today.

Still on the Knights coach, O'Brien has scoffed at a Sydney media report talking about the club's mental softness that suggested a reason is the Knights "don't train as hard as Melbourne or the Roosters yet they wonder why those teams win premierships and they do not".

"So now we've got journalists telling us how we do or don't train," O'Brien responded. "I spent 11 years at Melbourne so I reckon I know a bit about what hard training is and these guys here train bloody hard. Last year, it was suggested we were training them too hard which caused our injuries so you can't win."

Knights fans constantly snipe away at Mitchell Pearce over his form when he is playing which all seems a bit hollow now with him injured as the team struggles big time without his competitiveness, passion, intensity and on-field leadership.

Pearce has missed 14 games since he arrived at the club in 2018 and the Knights have won three of them. Anyone who thinks Newcastle would be better off without him [and there are quite a few] has rocks in their heads.

After a few days back home following today's hit-and-run mission to Wagga, the Knights face a full week on the road with away games in Brisbane and Townsville.

They will head to Brisbane on Thursday for Friday night's Magic Round clash against Wests Tigers at Suncorp before continuing on and going into camp on the Sunshine Coast for a few days at Mooloolaba prior to taking on the Cowboys in Townsville on Friday week.

The Knights' fate this season could hinge on the results of these next three games.

There is never a good time to abuse a referee but former Knights centre Tautau Moga, now at the South Sydney Rabbitohs, could hardly have picked a worse time to let fly.

With Souths having six or seven players out heading into Thursday night's clash against Melbourne Storm, Moga would have come under strong consideration to play his first NRL game for the Bunnies had he not been suspended for four matches for abusing the referee in NSW Cup last weekend.

In hindsight though, given the 50-0 scoreline to the Storm, maybe it wasn't such a bad game to miss after all.

Giant teenage English centre Dom Young has been forced to have minor surgery to repair damage to his knee and faces a further stint on the sideline. Young was named to make his return in NSW Cup last weekend but still had soreness in his knee and it was decided he would benefit from an arthroscope which he had late last week. As a result, he'll miss the next three or four weeks.

We are yet to see Young's countryman Bailey Hodgson due to pre-season knee surgery but he is closing in on his first game for the club.

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