“Recipe we used in the past”: Knights heading back to well after disastrous season start

The Newcastle Knights will have to go back to the well yet again if they are to qualify for the finals in 2025 after their fifth straight loss on Friday evening in Christchurch at the hands of the New Zealand Warriors.

The loss leaves the Knights in a precarious spot, having won just two of their first seven games.

Taking usual parameters into account, it likely means Adam O'Brien's side will need to win at least ten of their remaining 17 games to make the finals, but potentially more.

It's attack, which has been the key issue for the Knights this year, with the club scoring just 72 points in their 7 games, with only 34 of those coming in their last 5 games.

Adam O'Brien said some of his side's attacking issues are down to their injuries, but also admitted there are other areas to fix.

"Some of it is some personnel. We have some young guys out there at the moment with our experienced guys that are missing, there is some confidence and connection stuff. If it was an easy answer, it would be fixed by now," O'Brien said during his post-match press conference after the loss in Christchurch.

"Coggs had surgery on his finger so he was out, then Tyson Gamble came back and had nose surgery so he couldn't make the flight over here so we put Coggs back in. They aren't form changes that I'm making, they are injuries."

The Knights won just two of their first five in 2024 on the way to qualifying for the finals - albeit sneaking in on the final day of the season - and won just three of their first nine in 2023 before going on a world-beating run to make the finals.

O'Brien said he is confident his side can go on a similar run in 2025.

"What gives me confidence is the recipe we used in the past is what we need to do. We have spoken about high accountability and working hard, and being really disciplined and connected. During this period you still have to find a purpose each day to try and put a smile on your face and be upbeat," O'Brien said.

"We can turn it. We will be relying on that again, but just because it's worked in the past, it doesn't mean we can just assume it'll work again.

"We need to make it happen. To the boys credit, they are. I think most would agree five-day turnarounds are pretty tough to come and play these guys here, and we didn't give up."

The Knights, who had to travel to Christchurch on a five-day turnaround, were beaten from the outset of the game, but managed to fight their way back into the contest during the first half, having a couple of disallowed tries.

O'Brien said he could see positives from the effort and performance, even if the result didn't go his side's way, and admitted a week on the road was exactly what his 'down on confidence' team needed.

"I thought there were some moments there where we actually wrestled our way back into it. To have the two tries disallowed in the first half and then leak two off kicks was a big turnaround," he said.

"We could have quite easily tossed it in, but we didn't, we worked hard. I thought we were still working hard really hard at the back end of the game, so things will turn for us. We just have to stick at it."

"The completions were up over 70 per cent this week, normally we are in the 60s. It's just hard. We are down on confidence, no doubt. It's not going to turn for us, we have to make it happen.

"It was hard this week, played Sunday, left Monday morning to get over here and we only had 20 minutes on the field. It's hard to work at your game on a five-day turnaround internationally.

"We will get home, get a good solid week in this week and go after Magic Round.

"Apart from the result, it has probably been what we needed to spend some time and get over here."

The Knights will clash with the South Sydney Rabbitohs next weekend in Brisbane.