It is one of those 'danger games' against a lower-ranked opponent Newcastle has battled to win in previous seasons.
But the Knights can go a long way towards exorcising some mental demons from the past and keep their unblemished start to the season intact by putting the struggling Wests Tigers to the sword at McDonald Jones Stadium tomorrow.
With much of the focus during the build-up on Knights halfback and former skipper Mitchell Pearce preparing to play his 300th NRL game, the Tigers will slip into town hell-bent on pulling off a good, old-fashioned ambush.
Still smarting after two straight defeats to start the season, including a 40-6 hammering at the hands of the Sydney Roosters, the Tigers will be hoping to fly under the radar and cause a real boilover. But the Knights claim they are ready.
"It's been spoken about and we're aware of it, don't worry," Knights prop David Klemmer said.
"We've really let ourselves down in some games in the past against teams we've been expected to beat and we're definitely not in a position to take anyone lightly. They have come up against two of the heavyweights to start with so we are not reading anything into their results.
"We know they are going to be desperate and we have to make sure we are just as desperate. It's obviously a milestone game we definitely want to win as well. "
Knights coach Adam O'Brien believes the club has done a really good job of celebrating Pearce's milestone game without it impacting too much on the job at hand.
"I think the way we have handled it is perfect to be honest," O'Brien said.
"He was able to get all of his media commitments out of the way last Monday and he was the guest of honour at a surprise lunch with all the players and staff after training on Wednesday and since then, the focus has been soley on the game.
"Mitch trained really strongly yesterday [Thursday] and he'll be fine. We just have to make sure the rest of us don't let him down on the day."
O'Brien expects a strong reaction from the Tigers following their big loss last weekend to the Roosters.
"Yeah, I do - they will want to bounce back really strong and Madge [coach Michael Maguire] will have them really up for this," he said. "It will be a good test for us. Consistency has been a real focus for us right through the pre-season into the first couple of rounds and that's what we'll need to bring again on Sunday."
While there has been little said publicly, O'Brien has made a big deal privately with his players about the importance of retaining the Allan McMahon Shield.
