AIDAN Guerra is confident his illustrious NRL career won't be ending on Sunday.
After announcing three weeks ago his intention to retire, the veteran Knights back-rower enters his fifth play-off series knowing that his next loss will be his last.
And while the form of both teams last weekend will ensure Newcastle are rank outsiders in Sunday's sudden-death showdown at ANZ Stadium, Guerra knows from first-hand experience that the play-offs are a whole new ball game.
"It's all or nothing," Guerra told the Newcastle Herald.
"We've been working really hard for this, as a group, since November.
"The growth that we've had in this group, with the younger guys and even the ones who haven't been playing, it's been great.
"Just to make the finals isn't enough for us. Our aspirations go further than one week into the finals.
"So hopefully we perform like that, like a side that knows we've got everything to lose this weekend."
The Knights have moved on quickly from their last-round 36-6 loss to Gold Coast which, when combined with Souths' 60-8 hammering of Sydney Roosters, cost Newcastle home-ground advantage in week one of the finals.
"We expect more out of ourselves, more out of the team," Guerra said of the loss to the Titans.
"We know we weren't anywhere near where we needed to be as a team.
"We're in the NRL.
"It doesn't matter who we were playing against at the weekend, we all know what we produced wasn't good enough. The scoreboard said that at the end ...
"As a side, we understand that if we're not at our best, if we're a little bit off, we probably won't be good enough.
"I think that's the reality for us. We know that we have to tick all the boxes to win.
"That's the style of football team we are, and we'll be looking to do that this week.
"We've got to play a style of football that we can be proud of."
Guerra, 32, made his NRL debut for the Roosters in 2007 and played 157 games for the tri-colours before linking with the Knights, for whom he has appeared in 56 games in three seasons. This year, Guerra and skipper Mitchell Pearce are the only Knights to have played in every game.
Along the way, the back-row workhorse from Townsville scored a try in the Roosters' 2013 grand final triumph, represented Queensland in 10 Origins and wore the green and gold in a Test against the Kiwis.
"Hopefully there's a few more wins to go, and then I can fondly look back on the times I've had and the football that's been played as well," Guerra said.
"It's been a bit of a journey, from my pre-season in '07 with the Storm. But it's not over yet, and I'm excited for the next couple of weeks."
Guerra said he was "a bit of a realist" about the prospect of full-time sounding on his career at some point in the near future.
"I've got lots of fond memories of football," he said.
"You can't define it all by one game.
"It would be great to go all the way and pick up the trophy with this group, but first we've got to focus on putting in a tough performance this weekend, one that we can be proud of."
