AFTER a gruelling early-season schedule, the Newcastle Knights are banking on a 10-day turnaround and fresh legs to help them start climbing the NRL ladder.
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As they prepare to enter what appears, on paper at least, a potentially profitable phase of their campaign, Knights coach Adam O'Brien has shed light on the toll the first six rounds have taken on his troops.
"We're a tired footy team," he said.
"Thankfully we get a longer turnaround now ... we need sleep and rest."
After last week's 22-20 loss to Sydney Roosters, the Knights sit 14th on the points table with two wins to their name.
But starting against Canterbury at Accor Stadium on Sunday, Newcastle have a string of highly winnable games looming on the horizon.
After the Bulldogs, they face the Dolphins (away), Warriors (home), Wests Tigers (away), Gold Coast (away) and then Canterbury again at home.
Of those fixtures, the Warriors would seem the most daunting challenge, but they have lost their past three games in Newcastle and 13 of 21 in total.
If Newcastle can play to their potential, six consecutive wins would not appear beyond them, setting up blockbuster mid-season clashes with Melbourne (away) and Penrith (home).
As well as recharging depleted batteries, O'Brien said the extra time would give his team a chance to fine-tune.
"With a longer turnaround, we actually get three decent field sessions in the week, to get better at stuff," O'Brien said.
"The halves can get some connection. Because at the moment, we haven't done any training to get better at anything.
"We're just filling the tank up. It sounds like a real sob story, but it's just factual.
"It's what we've been through, and we haven't been disgraced. They've been fighting all the way."
O'Brien said he didn't want to make excuses after his team's run of three games - losses to the Warriors and Roosters and a win against St George Illawarra - in the space of 12 days.
"It's been a tough six weeks," he said. "Townsville, Auckland - they're not easy places to get to from Newcastle. It's not a direct flight.
"So they've gone through a lot, the boys.
"People are going to say: 'He's throwing up excuses'.
"I couldn't care less. That's fact that that's what this group has had to go through."
