The return of hard-running prop Leo Thompson and metre-eating winger Greg Marzhew can't come soon enough for the Knights after their loss to the Warriors in New Zealand on Sunday.
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On an evening when the Warriors constantly tore through the middle-third of the field in the early parts of their 20-12 victory, the Knights were missing two of their strongest ball-carriers.
They also both happen to be New Zealand products, who undoubtedly would have relished playing in front of the sold-out crowd at Mount Smart Stadium.
The stats were almost even across the board at half-time, when the Warriors led 12-6 after a late Knights fightback, but the home side had dominated early on.
They made close to 300 run-metres more than the Knights in the opening 40 minutes alone, despite having almost 30 less touches of the ball, and those numbers were similar at full-time.
Unfortunately, Marzhew missed the game due to a broken wrist, while Thompson was suspended for a dangerous-contact charge picked up in the win over the Storm a week earlier.
The good news is, and as football director Peter Parr pointed out when explaining why Thompson copped a one-match ban rather than contesting his charge, the New Zealand international returns for Friday's clash with St George Illawarra at McDonald Jones Stadium.
The Dragons are coming off a confidence-boosting 20-12 win over Manly in Wollongong on Saturday, moving to a 2-2 record this season, so Thompson will be a welcome addition given Newcastle's short turnaround between games.
Marzhew is likely still at least a week or two away, as he was slated to miss between four and six games after his injury in round two.
The other player the Knights are likely to have back in their side this week is veteran centre Dane Gagai, who was withdrawn from Sunday's game due to a medical condition.
