With the pain of last season still fresh in mind, Knights skipper Kalyn Ponga says Newcastle are determined to walk off the field after each game this year "with performances that we're proud of".
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Knights face the Warriors in what is an always-tough road trip to New Zealand but they've been spared the perhaps harder assignment of playing at their opponent's regular home ground, Mt Smart Stadium, and meet at Wellington's Sky Stadium tonight.
After an underwhelming and difficult 2022, finishing 14th with just six wins from 24 games, a victory across the ditch would be the perfect start for the Knights.
Ponga, beginning his second stint at five-eighth as part of a new-look spine featuring recent recruits Jackson Hastings and Lachlan Miller, along with fellow co-captain Jayden Brailey, said the playing group was keen to put last season behind them.
"Individually, across the board, we're in a better place," he told the Newcastle Herald.
"That's only going to help the team. Last year, it hurt. On and off the field we didn't perform as well as we know we can. We've taken a lot of lessons from last year and we don't want to have another year like that.
MORE KNIGHTS NEWS:
"We want to be proud of our performances, proud of the way we prepare for games and the effort we put in. I've seen improvements over the pre-season. I'm not going to make any promises ... but we're going to do our best to win every week, and try and walk off with performances that we're proud of."
Ponga, who turns 25 and plays his 100th NRL game this month, said he was all-in on his move to the halves from fullback, a switch he said was likely to occur with or without the club recruiting Hastings and Miller.
"The back end of last year, I just looked at - I'm here for another five years, where do I see myself growing," he said.
"I want to be in more moments in games and playing six gives me the best opportunity to do that."
Newcastle are minus veteran centre Dane Gagai, who is nursing a hamstring and is replaced by Enari Tuala.
After Hymel Hunt won the race to play left wing, Knights coach Adam O'Brien said Greg Marzhew had been left out of both the NRL and NSW Cup squads this week due to a "hip-pointer injury".
"He got it in the Parramatta trial. It was giving him a little bit of grief and then it settled, and then we trained and it stirred it up again.
"We just thought with the flight, it's better [to rest him]. We've got a longer turnaround to round two. We've been hit with the injury stick in the past, so we thought we'd play the long game.
"Hymel, for trial form and his whole summer, it's the best one he has had, certainly in my time at the club."
Newcastle's jerseys will feature a one-off John Hunter Children's Hospital logo on Friday and be auctioned by sponsor Palmerbet to raise funds for the hospital.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Join the discussion in the comment section below.
Find out how to register or become a subscriber here.
