The Knights and Bulldogs sit on the same number of competition points but find themselves on vastly different trajectories with six rounds remaining.
Newcastle have lost five of their past six games and face the prospect of being without inspirational skipper Kalyn Ponga for an extended period after he suffered another concussion in the loss to the Roosters.
The Bulldogs are scoring tries and loving life, reviving 'The Entertainers' brand with 140 points in their past five matches and knocking off the Eels, Tigers and Titans along the way.
With Matt Burton and Josh Addo-Carr leading the charge the Bulldogs are well and truly on track to offload the wooden spoon they collected in 2021 and are building nicely for next season.
The Rundown
Team news
Knights: Kalyn Ponga will miss the game due to concussion and is replaced by Tex Hoy at fullback, while Lachlan Fitzgibbon (shoulder) is also out. Brodie Jones joins the pack and Mat Croker is the new man on the bench. Edrick Lee was removed from the squad on Saturday afternoon and replaced by Simi Sasagi, while Dominic Young is set to return from a back/ribs injury on the other wing. Kurt Mann (leg) was also cut from the squad when it was trimmed 24 hours before kick off.
Bulldogs: Jake Averillo (COVID protocols) returns in the No.1 jersey so Declan Casey goes to the reserves list. Tevita Pangai Junior starts in the second row for Corey Waddell, who was found guilty of dangerous contact at the judiciary on Tuesday night and hit with a five-match ban. Rookie Harrison Edwards will make his NRL debut off the interchange.
Key match-up
Anthony Milford v Matt Burton: He may be headed for the Dolphins in 2023 but Milford's mind is very much on the job in Newcastle as he looks to finish the season on a high. In eight games for the Knights he has produced nine forced dropouts and five try assists and his kicking game has come to the fore in recent weeks. On the back of his debut Origin series, Burton has returned to the Bulldogs full of confidence and ready to chance his hand whenever the opportunity presents. From his towering bombs to his astute passing game and elusive running, the Dogs No.6 has all bases covered and his reputation grows with each passing week.
Stat Attack
The Knights conceded 571 points in 24 matches last year on their way to finishing seventh in the competition. So far in 2022 they have already given up 498 points, the worst defensive record in the NRL.
Story first published on NRL.com