Knights coach Adam O'Brien has stuck solid with incumbent halves Jackson Hastings and Tyson Gamble despite calls for Jack Cogger to start against Canberra in Thursday's season-opener.
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Hastings at halfback, and Gamble at five-eighth, will resume duties as Newcastle's play-making duo in the 8pm match at McDonald Jones Stadium.
Cogger, meanwhile, will make his first appearance for the Knights since 2018 from the interchange bench.
A back-up half and utility during Penrith's three-peat title triumph last year, Cogger's inclusion in the No.14 jersey comes as Jayden Brailey continues to recover from a hamstring strain.
The hooker, who is also returning from the knee injury which ended his 2023 campaign after just six rounds, was left out entirely from the 22-man match squad.
O'Brien has given versatile outside-back Enari Tuala first crack at filling the wing spot vacated by Knight turned Rooster Dom Young.
The 25-year-old, who has played 90 NRL games, gets the jump ahead of less experienced contenders Tom Jenkins, David Armstrong and Krystian Mapapalangi.
Elsewhere, the coach has handed a start to Dylan Lucas in the back row to fill the void left by departed edge forward Lachlan Fitzgibbon.
Englishman Kai Pearce-Paul, another option, will come off the bench in his first Knights and NRL game.
Meanwhile for the Raiders, The Entrance junior Ethan Strange will start at five-eighth in just second NRL appearance for what is a replay of last year's epic elimination final, which Newcastle won 30-28.
The 19-year-old, the younger brother of former Knights NRLW player Jasmine Strange, was a standout in the pre-season trials.
Canberra beat Parramatta 38-16 at Kogarah and then went down to North Queensland 36-26 in Queanbeyan.
Newcastle lost to Melbourne 28-10 in their most recent trial in Fiji last month, a week after defeating Cronulla 44-18 in Gosford.
Brailey, who missed both trials, won't feature at all this weekend, nor will utility forward Mat Croker due to a tooth problem.
Newcastle's other English recruit Will Pryce, also impressive in the trials, starts at five-eighth in NSW Cup. The Ron Griffiths-coached team play at 5.30pm before the NRL match.
Knights back-rower Tyson Frizell, who has been mooted for a potential switch from the right to the left in 2024, said the Knights were determined to bank wins early this season, starting with one first-up at home.
"We don't want to be chasing 10 games straight towards the back of the year, trying to find our way into a top-eight spot," he said.
"We want to be starting the year off well. It's always tough to start the year off, everyone is trying to chase a good head-start on the competition, and we're no different.
"We got ourselves in a bit of a hole there last year, and it's something we don't want to be doing this time round."
Knights (vs Raiders)
1. Kalyn Ponga
2. Enari Tuala
3. Dane Gagai
4. Bradman Best
5. Greg Marzhew
6. Tyson Gamble
7. Jackson Hastings
8. Jacob Saifiti
9. Phoenix Crossland
10. Leo Thompson
11. Tyson Frizell
12. Dylan Lucas
13. Adam Elliott
Bench
14. Jack Cogger
15. Daniel Saifiti
16. Jack Hetherington
17. Kai Pearce-Paul
Extended match squad
18. Jed Cartwright
19. Tom Jenkins
20. Will Pryce
21. Brodie Jones
22. Tom Cant
