Knights skipper Mitchell Pearce eyes finals frontier

FOCUSED: Knights skipper Mitchell Pearce. Picture: Simone De Peak

MITCHELL Pearce has been down this road six times before. Often enough to know what it takes to reach the NRL finals, and what will be required once his team arrives at their destination.

Five rounds out from the play-offs, Newcastle's skipper and primary playmaker is delighted that the Knights occupy sixth rung on the competition ladder, one point behind the top four. But he is also well aware that they need to keep improving on a weekly basis.

"I feel like we've put ourselves in a really good position," Pearce said on Wednesday.

"We're one point off the four and we're in sixth spot at the moment.

"We're coming in with so much stuff that we want to keep, and we know that we can keep working on our game over the next coming month, and we need to, just like everyone else there in the hunt for the finals.

"There's some really good stuff we're doing. I'm really proud of the team, how well we're developing in our defence and our kick-chase.

"The hard-working stuff, we're doing a really good job of that, and we've got to maintain that."

Pearce added that, while a top-four berth is a realistic aspiration, Newcastle coach Adam O'Brien has been steadfastly insisting on a "one week at a time" mentality.

"We're a side that we want to win the day," he said. "We prepare as well as we can for the weekend's game.

"This week it's the Warriors.

"Obviously we want to make the top four, but it's the Warriors this week."

Most pleasing for Pearce has been Newcastle's resilience, in particular their refusal to allow a brutal injury toll to sabotage the season.

Tim Glasby, Daniel Saifiti, Sione Mata'utia, Edrick Lee, Connor Watson, Bradman Best, Andrew McCullough, Jayden Brailey and Blake Green are all on the sidelines, yet the Knights have won their past three games.

"One thing Ads [O'Brien] has brought to the club - above all the great things he's brought - is about just getting on with the next job and believing in everyone in the squad," Pearce said.

"He's got a real trust in us as players, and as a playing group, we feel that.

"For the whole 30-man squad, whoever steps up knows they can do a job. And I think that's the biggest thing Ads has brought ... it's allowed us to be consistent, regardless of injuries."

That's why Pearce is backing recalled five-eighth Mason Lino - playing his first NRL game in almost 12 months - to fill the vacancy created when Green ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in last week's victory against North Queensland.

"He's going to do a great job," Pearce said of Lino.

"He's going to be fresh. He hasn't played footy for a while. Mase will do really well. He's played a lot of first grade, first at the Warriors and also since he's been here.

"He's racked up a fair few numbers in the halves. He's a real quality player and he knows what's required this week.

"He'll defend well for us and he'll be a good kicking option as well."

The Knights won't be underestimating the Warriors, who continue to defy the odds.

"The last month they've really started to put some consistency together," Pearce said.

"The Warriors, since the first year they came into the competition, they've always been a big, strong and powerful unit. So it's going to be a really big task this week.

"For us, we've got to keep building on our game."

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