A draw for 2023 has yet to be officially released, but reports have emerged the Knights will miss out on the competition-wide concept because of a bye.

The promotion of the Redcliffe Dolphins next year sees the NRL expand to an uneven 17 teams, meaning at least one squad has to be on the sidelines each week.

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According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the decision was based on fan engagement from the 2022 event, however, the NRL indicated clubs would simply rotate each year.

The Knights have yet to relinquish a home game for the Magic Round concept, which was first introduced in 2019 and sees all fixtures scheduled for the same venue across the same weekend.

"We haven't got the draw yet and until we actually see the draw this is speculation," Gardner told the Newcastle Herald on Monday.

"If it is the case, it's disappointing. I feel disappointed for the fans who like to go up there. It's a great weekend and a great showcase for rugby league.

"We're one of the clubs that won't put a home game into Magic Round. We've always said that we won't take a game away from McDonald Jones Stadium, we won't take a home game away from the fans."

Magic Round has again been slated for Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium, possibly on May 5-7.

In terms of the Knights' stance on Magic Round and keeping hold of their allocated home matches each campaign, Gardner says "for us it's not about the money, it's about the fans".

"They [the NRL] make it financially worth your while to go, but it's really important for us we play our games at home," he said.

"Our fans have told me, on a very regular basis like every day, how important those games are and how important winning at home is and they want that experience."

Next year's NRL draw has been impacted by the women's soccer World Cup, which is jointly being hosted in Australia and New Zealand.

Gardner says "it's a complex year" but, while other venues will likely be out of action for a period, the Knights "still get all of our home games at McDonald Jones Stadium".

Newcastle, who began pre-season training last week, also continue working towards finalising their roster for 2023 amid rumours Tyson Frizell is being shopped around to rival clubs.

"Tyson is a contracted player and the rest is speculation on which we do not comment," Gardner said.

Last week Frizell, who has one year left on his deal at the Knights, became a free agent meaning he's permitted to sign elsewhere in 2024.

"There's a lot of us older guys who are pretty disappointed with how this year turned out and we really need a big pre-season," Frizell recently told NRL.com.

"After a tough year we want to get stuck into it and give ourselves every opportunity to do well next year."

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