Former Canberra Raiders premiership-winner Laurie Daley believes there is a huge question mark hanging over the Knights ability to handle the power and ferociousness of a rejuvenated Parramatta forward pack heading into Sunday's elimination final.
Daley is tipping the Eels to end Newcastle's season in Rockhampton, claiming the challenge the Knights face in containing Parramatta's big men will be too great.
"This Parramatta pack will be hungry and desperate and play at a ferocity that I reckon the Knights are going to struggle to match," the Newcastle Herald columnist said.
"They've all had a week off, they get Reagan Campbell-Gillard back to partner Junior Paulo up front and they have come out the other side after that flat period a month ago when they lost a few games and people were writing them off.
"They would have taken a heap of confidence out of the win over Melbourne a few weeks back and I just think their big blokes are going to come out with a real energy about them - I can see them jumping out of the ground this weekend."
While the Knights forward pack is also their strength with several players getting last weekend off to freshen up, Daley fears their walking wounded in the forwards will be found out.
"Big Daniel Saifiti is a wonderful player and one of the best props in the game but he hasn't played for a month because of that knee ligament injury," he said. "So, we don't really know if he is completely over it or if he is, how his fitness will hold up in a game of this sort of intensity.
"And [David] Klemmer, he's got that rib cartilage injury and will need to have a needle to play and they are not always effective in that area. It's a bad time of the season to be carrying wounded players into games.
"If those guys are underdone, and they are probably going to be, they'll get found out in a game like this."
Daley believes the Knights will rely heavily on Mitchell Pearce and Kalyn Ponga.
"Ponga and Pearce - they are the Knights' marquee men and it's going to be up to them to inspire something special for their team and their supporters.
"Kalyn, in particular, a lot of the Knights' points revolve around him. He's a freakish player whose game is really developing.
"He's playing both sides of the field now, he's playing short sides and playing through the middle. He's playing tough as well and he'll keep probing and testing out the Eels' defence whenever the Knights have the footy.
"But he's going to be an obvious target for Parramatta and he'll need plenty of help. He just won't be able to even go close to being a dominant force if his side is getting smashed through the middle.
"The same goes with Mitch Pearce. He'll obviously be a big threat if his forwards can lay a platform but it's going to be a tough 80 minutes for him if he's continually on the back foot."
Daley claims Eels coach Brad Arthur's game plan going in will be pretty simple.
"He'll be telling his side to come out at a million miles an hour and be aggressive with and without the footy and play a smash and grab style of game," he said.
"You look at their pack, they are all big men. When you have the luxury of leaving Ryan Matterson out of your 17-man squad altogether and naming one of your form forwards this season, Isaiah Papali'i on the bench, you know you are in good shape.
"And with the momentum they'll generate, that's when their halves Mitchell Moses and Dylan Brown and fullback Clint Gutherson will come into their own.
"I think with the Eels this time last year, they looked a bit busted and when you play that physical style that they play, that's what happens. You can run out of puff.
"But this year, the coach has had the luxury of being able to rest quite a few of those players at various times and they were all freshened up last weekend.
"I'm expecting them to be at their bruising best and it won't surprise me if it's one of their best performances in a while.
"I can sense them getting back to the powerhouse form they showed at the start of the season."
