Season 2018 is over for half the teams in the competition. The players are dreaming of white sandy beaches and end of year trips. Yet before the bags are packed and we erase from our memories the often terrible performances of the teams that finished in the bottom eight, letโ€™s have a look at some of the positives that they had. Whilst all these teams will have a lot of work to do to improve their fortunes in 2019, what can they take from this season to build on?

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Newcastle Knights

In 2017, the Newcastle Knights finished the season as the wooden spooners. This year they showed an all-round improvement and they finished in 11th place.

Kalyn Pongaโ€™s first full year in the competition showed that all the hype about him is worthwhile. With 140 tackle breaks and 11 try assists, he is the type of player that teams are built around.

Backed by strong performances by Shaun Kenny-Dowall and Mitchell Pearce, itโ€™s safe to say that the Knights recruited well in 2018.

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - AUGUST 10: Kalyn Ponga of the Knights reacts during the round 22 NRL match between the New Zealand Warriors and the Newcastle Knights at Mt Smart Stadium on August 10, 2018 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)
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