Sporting Declaration: Time for the Knights to repay their fans' unflagging loyalty

Midway through last week's clash against the Dolphins, as the injury-decimated Knights surged to an unexpected lead early in the second half, the 20,093-strong crowd found their voice.

That's the thing about the Novocastrian faithful. As Roosters coach Trent Robinson has noted more than once, they know their footy.

They realised the odds were stacked against their team before the game had even kicked off, given the absence through concussions, injuries and suspension of a host of key players, including Kalyn Ponga, Jayden Brailey, Jacob Saifiti, Tyson Frizell and Kurt Mann.

They were aware that three young tyros - Dylan Lucas, Thomas Cant and Ryan Rivett - would be making their NRL debuts, and welcomed them warmly with encouraging cheers.

And above all they recognised the effort produced by the men in blue and red.

While they filed out at full-time disappointed with the result, a 36-20 loss to Wayne Bennett's new franchise, I doubt many supporters felt let down by the performance.

Adam O'Brien's troops gave it a red-hot go, and while the coach was ruing two late tries, he said afterwards: "I don't think it's reflective of the work they put in and how hard they tried. We need to be better in a lot of parts, but we went in there and fought hard."

Moreover, O'Brien added: "There's something about this mob this year that I just feel like we've got something about us.

"Something about the club. With the amount of starters that were out, there's some grittiness amongst them."

Knights fans, who have celebrated only one win on home turf in the past 12 months, will be hoping O'Brien's confidence stands the test of time.

And certainly the recruits Newcastle signed over the off-season would appear to have brought with them the type of competitiveness and attitude the Knights clearly lacked last year, when they finished 14^th and won only six games.

I've seen a few well-credentialed experts, in particular Andrew Johns, Paul Gallen and Michael Maguire, discuss Jackson Hastings recently and they all appeared to share the same opinion - he's a winner, who's not afraid to speak his mind. I'd suggest that's exactly the type of bloke the Knights need calling the shots.

Tyson Gamble, meanwhile, impressed me from the moment I first noticed him at the Broncos. He comes across as someone who plays every game as if it might be his last, and who takes great delight in getting under the skin of big-name opponents.

Lachlan Miller has been impossible not to notice. He's not just a strike weapon and a tryscorer, he's a feisty little bugger who doesn't take a backward step to anyone, like a terrier snapping away at the rottweilers.

And while big Jack Hetherington is yet to fully hit his straps after returning from two bouts of shoulder surgery, he has displayed a demolition-derby ferocity at his previous clubs that presumably makes him someone you'd rather play with than against.

The other priceless attribute these four bring to the table is they don't carry any of the baggage that might encumber their teammates. Whatever went down in Newcastle last season is none of their concern.

In saying that, while acknowledging the Knights have shown plenty of ticker and spirit in the first three rounds and could easily have more than one win to show for their troubles, I can't help but reflect on last season.

This time last year, Newcastle were coming off comprehensive wins against Sydney Roosters and Wests Tigers, followed by a gutsy 38-20 loss to Penrith, in which back-rower Mitch Barnett was sent off midway through the first half.

My recollection is that O'Brien's troops were competing hard at that time, too.

But the suspension of Barnett for six games was like a puncture in the tyre. Injuries soon pricked a few more holes in it.

After losses to Cronulla (18-0), Manly (30-6) and St George Illawarra (21-16), the tyre was dead flat and consecutive hammerings by Parramatta (39-2) and Melbourne (50-2) left the Knights languishing at the bottom of the competition ladder.

Twelve months on, O'Brien faces a similar dilemma. Maybe this time, after the experience of last year, he will have a puncture-repair kit handy.

It's impossible to deny the Knights will miss Ponga for however long he is sidelined with his concussion-related issues. Given that he has flown out to Canada for a week for high-tech scans and assessment, it's hard to imagine him returning to action inside a month.

Jacob Saifiti also faces another four games out through suspension and, before a ball was kicked this season, Newcastle were already looking a tad light-on up front.

There's been a fair bit of talk in the first few rounds about the resilience and resolve O'Brien's troops have shown thus far, and deservedly so.

But everyone knows the NRL is a marathon, not a sprint. How the rest of this season pans out is anyone's guess.

All that can be said with any certainty is that the majority of fans are realists. They don't expect miracles - just a bit more of what the Knights showed us last week.

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