Greg Marzhew scored five tries the last time Newcastle played St George Illawarra but Dean Young has a plan for the "improved" Dragons to stop history repeating.
The Knights are leaning towards resting State of Origin representatives Kalyn Ponga and Dylan Lucas given a tight turnaround into Friday's rematch.
Either Fletcher Sharpe or Fletcher Hunt will likely push to fullback if Queensland's Ponga misses out, while young forward Cody Hopwood is a leading contender for more minutes in place of NSW second-rower Lucas.
"I've told our side, 'plan on them not playing'," said coach Justin Holbrook.
"I'll see how they feel tomorrow, to be honest, and make a decision there."
Marzhew became only the 10th player in the NRL era to score five tries in a game when the Knights scored a 44-10 win in Young's second game as interim coach last month.