TOOHEY'S NEWS: The player Knights coach Nathan Brown has pencilled in to replace Kalyn Ponga during Origin series

We're hearing Lee and not Connor Watson or Kurt Mann will be handed the fullback role against the Bunnies if Maroons' star Kalyn Ponga does not back up after Wednesday night's Origin clash in Brisbane.

And that could open the door for Tautau Moga to potentially make his NRL return from a fourth knee reconstruction as Lee's replacement on the wing. Tellingly, Moga will play on the wing and not in the centres in NSW Cup today against the Bulldogs in Sydney.

Knights coach Nathan Brown is said to be leaning heavily towards resting both his Origin players Ponga and Blues prop David Klemmer for the Souths game.

While a definitive call probably won't be made until Thursday, Klemmer appears almost certain to be given the night off with Brown obviously mindful of his huge workload and what lies ahead this season.

Significantly, props Josh King and Pasami Saulo have both been withdrawn from NSW Cup today along with hooking option Jamie Buhrer.

Ponga will no doubt be keen to back-up if he gets through unscathed against the Blues but what is not in his favour is the hamstring injury he suffered against the Bulldogs last season after playing in Origin ll.

Ironically, Lee, who has been outstanding on the wing this season, has previously started at fullback on just one occasion in the NRL - for the Sharks last season in round 13 against....the Rabbitohs.

Knights insiders have conceded the club's salary cap position for 2020 is unlikely to be strong enough to make a serious bid for off-contract Brisbane Broncos forward Tevita Pangai Jnr.

The priority continues to be the upgrade and extension of current players Kalyn Ponga, Jesse Ramien and Dan Saifiti and it is unclear at this stage how much additional cap space those negotiations will eat up.

Privately, the Knights are hoping Pangai does another 12 month contract with the Broncos so they can get another crack at him for 2021 when the salary cap is in far better shape but the Sydney Roosters may have something to say about that.

In a sure sign he is being seriously looked at for a potential NRL debut at some stage this season, former Lakes United hooker Chris Randall was this week promoted to the Knights' fulltime squad in the wake of Danny Levi being out for the next two months following ankle surgery.

Randall, who can also play in the halves, appears to have leap-frogged Zac Woolford in the hooking pecking order and will start in the number 9 jumper today with Woolford on the bench when the Knights take on the Bulldogs in NSW Cup at ANZ Stadium.

Randall wasn't the only player elevated to the fulltime ranks. Lower grade winger Kiah Cooper, who has had previous stints in the lower grades at the Sydney Roosters and Gold Coast Titans, has also been rewarded after some strong performances in NSW Cup.

Mitchell Pearce said his decision to kiss the Knights' emblem on his jumper after scoring under the posts against the Sydney Roosters just over a week ago was "spontaneous" and a reaction to the fantastic crowd support on the night at McDonald Jones Stadium.

"I was pretty pumped up after scoring and the emotion of it all in front of such a great crowd, I think it was just a sign of how proud I am to be a Knight," he said.

We suspect there may have also been a touch of "up yours" about it as well from the Knights skipper after Roosters coach Trent Robinson had suggested in paying tribute to Pearce during the build-up that he is still "very much a Rooster" following his career at the club.

There is strong mail that Racing NSW boss Peter V'landys is about to make some significant announcements that will benefit the racing industry in this area. We're hearing he'll reveal all as early as Monday.

Knights prop Dan Saifiti is understood to be close to agreeing to a new contract extension with the club and according to captain Mitchell Pearce, it's a matter of when, not if, he breaks into the representative arena.

Saifiti, who still has a year to run on his existing deal, told this column a few weeks back he isn't interested in talking to rival clubs saying: 'I know what they [the Knights] have done for me and I'll show my loyalty too if they're happy to have me. I'll sign straight away.'

Not surprisingly, the Knights jumped on his comments and have since met with his manager Paul Sutton to get the ball rolling and an upgrade and extension is apparently imminent.

Meanwhile, Pearce now rates Saifiti among the best young forwards in the competition and says he is closing in on a rep jumper.

"Depending on what happens, he could even be an Origin bolter," Pearce said.

Hoole signs with Magic

"On what he has produced so far this season, I rate him up there with the best young forwards in the NRL and he is getting better and better. Tim Glasby and Big Klem [David Klemmer] have been great with him and he has taken his game to another level.

"He is going so good, I think it's only a matter of time before he plays some rep stuff."

It's like a sporting who's who at South Newcastle juniors footy training these days.

During the week, our spies spotted current Knights coach Nathan Brown along with ex-players Danny Buderus, Mark Hughes, Matt Hilder and Andrew Ryan and leading racehorse trainer Kris Lees at juniors training.

Former Bulldogs premiership-winning captain Ryan not only coaches the Lions first grade side, he also has boys in the club's Under 7's and Under 10's teams so coaches them as well.

Ex-Knights Buderus, Jeremy Smith and Josh Smith and Lees all have boys in Ryan's Under 7's side while Brown's young bloke plays in the Under 8's, as does Todd Lowrie's son.

Hilder coaches his son's Under 9's team, Hughes is in charge of his son's Under 12's side which also includes the son of ex-Knight Craig Smith, who is assistant coach, while Lees and Adam Muir have youngsters in the Lions' Under 15's.