Newcastle forward Adam Elliott will have to wait until Round 1 to slip on a Newcastle jersey for the first time.
The fiery lock made the move from Canberra to Newcastle over the off-season to link up with fiancee Millie Boyle in the Hunter, and join the likes of Jackson Hastings, Greg Marzhew, Jack Hetherington and Lachlan Miller as fresh faces to the side.
Despite being named on the bench for tonight's trial match against the Parramatta Eels, Elliott will now miss the clash after stepping on a team-mate's shoe.
Already battling a hip issue, Elliott rolled his ankle during a drill at training after stepping on another Knight's foot, however the injury isn't expected to rule the middle forward out long-term.
Adam O'Brien is confident the 28-year-old will be right to go for the opening round against the Warriors, and would've faced Parramatta if it wasn't a trial match.
"Adam (Elliott) would've played in the trial," O'Brien told the media at training on Thursday.
"He stepped on one of his team-mate's shoes during a drill and rolled it. It's been really frustrating for Adam but he'll be fine.
"If it was a comp game, playing for two points, he'd play tomorrow (Friday) night.
"It's just smart to let it heal so it's not there and ongoing through the season if you play him too soon."
Lachlan Miller will now be the only recruit making his club debut tonight, with Hastings, Marzhew and Tyson Gamble all pulling on the jersey last weekend against Cronulla.