THE Newcastle Knights remain confident they can still salvage a finals berth this season but admit their planned late-season charge has to start against the Warriors at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday.
After five wins and nine losses, the Knights occupy 14th rung on the NRL ladder and history suggests they will probably need at least seven wins from their remaining 10 games to scrape into the top eight.
Given that two of those fixtures are away to Melbourne and Sydney Roosters, the margin for error would appear slim. But the congested nature of the points table, combined with an influx of key players returning from injury and suspension, has provided a glimmer of hope for Knights coach Adam O'Brien and his troops.
Despite their inconsistency thus far, the Knights are still only one win adrift of the top eight. And with a favourable draw that includes two games against wooden spooners Brisbane and one against last-placed Canterbury, perhaps their season is not yet on the scrapheap.
The Warriors, who also have five wins to their name, are in a similarly precarious position, which means the loser of Saturday's showdown could drop four points behind the eight.
"It's close to being make or break, definitely, and that's the way we've got to look at it," Knights co-captain Daniel Saifiti said on Wednesday.
"It's sort of a do-or-die mentality. This week definitely puts us in good stead if we get the 'w', but you don't want to put too much pressure on yourself, just let the game happen naturally and see where we go from there."
A candid Saifiti said the Knights had been "really bad" this season but still had time to redeem themselves.
"To be honest, we've played really bad this year but we're still in the running for the top eight," Saifiti said.
"We've got a good draw and good players coming back too, so the glass is half-full is our mentality. That's the way we've got to look at it."
Saifiti's thoughts were echoed by his fellow skipper, hooker Jayden Brailey.
"I think every game from now on is vital in terms of our season," Brailey said.
"We've been pretty inconsistent this year obviously, with a lot of injuries. In terms of wins and losses we probably haven't been up to scratch. The positive thing is we're not far out of the eight. If we can string a few games together we're right back in there, and fingers crossed we can start things this weekend."
Newcastle expect to be bolstered this week by the return of veteran halfback Mitchell Pearce (pectoral), prop David Klemmer (suspension), winger Hymel Hunt (hamstring) and possibly dynamic fullback Kalyn Ponga (groin).
Ponga, who has appeared in only five games this season, trained on Wednesday but will need to convince Newcastle's high-performance staff that he is no risk of aggravating the injury if he plays on Saturday.
The stakes are high, because if the 23-year-old gets through the game with the Warriors, he is likely to be rushed into the Queensland side for Origin II at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday week.
Saifiti said it would be "massive" to welcome back the incoming players, while Brailey was excited to be playing alongside both Pearce and Ponga for only the third time since he joined Newcastle at the start of last season.
Newcastle utility Connor Watson said the return of Pearce would provide much-needed direction.
"It's good to see Pearcey back," Watson said. "You forget how much you miss a player like that. When he comes in, he just owns everything."
