Newcastle Herald journalists Robert Dillon and Barry Toohey go head to head: Can the Knights break the drought in 2020?

Barry Toohey: For the sanity of every local fan out there, we can only hope. Another season of "what might have been" after the lost opportunity last year would be heart-breaking for the faithful. The prospect of playing in front of empty stadiums is unprecedented here so how Adam O'Brien's squad handles that is a question to be answered.

RD: Stranger things have happened. Wests Tigers came from nowhere to win the comp in 2005. Canberra came damn close to a grand final boilover last year. Every now and then you get a team who defy all the odds - like Canberra in 1989 or the Knights in 1997. Newcastle would need everything to fall in their favour, starting with resurrecting their once-dominant record on home turf. It would require a minor miracle but anything is possible.

BT: If Mitchell Pearce, Kalyn Ponga, David Klemmer and Jayden Brailey remain healthy and play the majority of the games, the top four is not out of the question. Cooper Cronk thinks the Knights are a top-four side so who am I to argue. But winning the title this season might be a stretch.

RD: We'll soon find out. He's served an outstanding apprenticeship, and the likes of Craig Bellamy and Trent Robinson obviously employed him for a reason. He has certainly impressed me from the outset, and most importantly the players seem to rate him highly. I reckon half the problem last year was that the players lost belief in Nathan Brown and vice-versa. There was a disconnect. I'm confident they're on all the same page with O'Brien. They trust him, and that will show in their performances.

BT: Talk to the players and O'Brien has already had a huge impact. Training has been noticeably more intense and quicker than I've ever seen it. There is far more accountability when mistakes are made and there won't have ever been a fitter Knights side put on the paddock to start a season. But as always, the coach's impact will be measured by results.

RD: In Mitchell Pearce and Kalyn Ponga, they have two players with the potential to win a Dally M gold medal. Not every club can say that. I wouldn't swap David Klemmer for any other prop in the game. I like their off-season signings, in particular Jayden Brailey and Gehamat Shibasaki, who have been recruited for a specific purpose and not just because they were available. Throw in the Saifiti twins, Herman Ese'ese, Mitch Barnett, Lachlan Fitzgibbon and Sione Mata'utia and you have some powerful, experienced forwards ... plus a bit of X-factor in Connor Watson and Bradman Best.

BT: Undoubtedly their marquee players - Pearce, Ponga and Klemmer - three of the best in the game in their positions. The Knights also boast arguably the best utility in the game in Connor Watson and some great young talent in Bradman Best, Tex Hoy, Phoenix Crossland, Starford To'a and Simi Sasagi. Another strength, provided they use it the right way as motivation, should be the experience they went through last season when they crumbled under pressure.

RD: I just hope coach O'Brien holds his nerve and gives certain players, such as Kurt Mann, an extended run. Brown seemed to chop and change on a weekly basis, and all that did was create uncertainty. If O'Brien makes the same mistake, the Knights might again suffer from inconsistency. I guess their other vulnerable area will be if Pearce, Ponga or Klemmer copped a long-term injury. But all clubs can say that about their key players.

BT: They have inexperienced centres, no recognised five-eighth and limited back-row resources if injuries play a part as can often happen over the course of a long season. Coach O'Brien wanted Mitch Barnett to play in the middle this season but has already been forced to shift him to an edge for the opening round because of Sione Mata'utia's injury. Two or three injuries to outside backs and Dillo you might get a run.

RD: I rate Kurt Mann highly. He's a good footballer who has never had a chance to settle in one position. There are some other decent options there, in particular Mason Lino, as well as rookies Phoenix Crossland and Tex Hoy. But I'm confident that if Kurt Mann plays the whole season at five-eighth, they Knights will make the finals. It will be the first time since Mitchell Pearce has been here that he'll have had a settled right-hand man.

BT: The coach will be hoping Kurt Mann because that would mean his transition from utility to a No.6 will have been a success. Mann is tough and has enough experience to do a job there but if I'm thinking long-term, I'm hoping Crossland develops into the player many think he can be. He has the physique and kicking game but only time will tell if he is the answer.

RD: I'll say David Klemmer. No disrespect to Mitch Barnett, who had a great season, but I find it hard to understand how Klemmer could be picked for NSW and Australia last year - on top of the outstanding value he provided for Newcastle - and not win the Danny Buderus Medal.

BT: Ponga in a photo-finish from Pearce. We only saw the brilliant young fullback's best spasmodically last season but he'll lift his consistency levels this year. The only question mark will be if his contract talks drag on but, given his laid-back nature, it probably won't worry him. If the Knights have a big year, Pearce will poll plenty of Dally M points while Klemmer's work-rate will mean he's always noticed.

RD: Hopefully not the Knights. They've had more than their fair share in recent times. I suppose Gold Coast deserve to be favourites, but the Dragons and Warriors both appear capable of completely imploding. If I was having a bet, my money would be on the Warriors.

BT: The usual suspects, the Warriors and the Titans will be thereabouts, as will the Bulldogs after their pre-season imploded but they may just have the defensive grit to stave off the wooden spoon. A real smokey for mine are the Sharks although for Johnny Morris' sake, I'm hoping it's not them. Forced to pick one, I'll say the Warriors.

RD: I'd like to think certain teams, such as the Roosters, Melbourne and Cronulla, might not be as strong this season as they have been. Can the Raiders build on last season, or was it a one-off? The sides who look like they might be on the rise are Parramatta and Manly. Souths will also be there or thereabouts. Then you've got the smokies like Brisbane, Penrith, North Queensland and even the Knights. I'll say Parramatta to beat Souths in the GF.

BT: If Tom Trbojevic plays 20-plus games for Manly, I'm tipping the Sea Eagles. They have close to the best pack in the competition, one of the best halfbacks in Daly Cherry-Evans and a dead-set match winner in Tommy Turbo at the back. Obviously the Roosters can't be discounted and the Raiders won't be any less hard to beat this season.

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