Knights CEO Phil Gardner says the club is better placed than just about any other NRL rival and in a far stronger position than at any time in its history to ride out the "significant" financial hit the game will take due to the coronavirus crisis.
While he admits there are major concerns around the financial implications of playing to empty stadiums or potentially not at all this season, Gardner says the club is not under any threat and "we'll manage it the best way we possibly can".
The NRL will break new ground this weekend, playing in front of no fans for the first time with lockouts in place for all round two games due to infection fears. But that may just be a pre-curser to what lies ahead with the suspension of the competition seemingly inevitable at some stage in the near future.
"Everybody is concerned and we are looking at how we manage all that and what it is going to look like at the end of it," Gardner told the Newcastle Herald.
"But that is no different to how anyone is feeling right now that's in business in this country. It is very tough economically for everyone in just about every industry."
While the Knights would have struggled to survive the current crisis in previous years given their dire financial position for much of the past three decades, the backing of owners Wests Group has left them as secure as any rival club.
Gardner, who is also Wests Group CEO, said the game's "huge challenges" are a day-by-day proposition.
"Part of the reason Wests Group took on the Knights is because we saw the importance of the team to the town," he said. "So right now, we are probably the best people to have it. Our board will manage all that as we go through the year."
Wests Group will not be immune to the impacts of the virus. The Group owns several of the region's biggest licensed clubs and faces the prospect of a significant downturn in patronage.
The Group's profits are certain to take a hit.
But Gardner says Wests are in a strong position to absorb any impact.
"Everybody in the hospitality and entertainment industry is going to take a financial hit," he said. "People are isolating, they are not going out and that will get worse before it gets better.
"We are not immune from those impacts. We have been building up the reserves of the clubs for a long period of time and we are probably in a good position to withstand what is coming our way.
"That's down to our prudent management and having a very good board over a long period of time. We think we are in as good a position as anybody else but it will be challenging for everybody.
"We have made good profits for long periods of time. We have been prudent with our management of the Knights. The club is debt-free and we have money in the bank so that's a good position for us to be in. Like I said, we will manage it as best we possibly can. We don't know how it will play out but we'll manage it as it comes."
Gardner would not comment on the prospect of Knights players having to take pay cuts if the NRL is forced to suspend the competition, preferring to remain positive about future games going ahead.
"It's clearly important financially that we keep playing and we also want the games to go ahead for our fans so they have something to watch," he said. "Right now, we are one of the few sporting codes in the world still operating and we'd like to keep it that way if we can."
The Knights receive more than $1 million a month from the NRL's television rights, money that will dry up if there are no games played. The players will bear the brunt of that loss of income if suspension of the competition becomes a reality.
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