Knights forward Lachlan Fitzgibbon insists he won't be bailing out early to join Warrington

Warrington announced last week that they had signed Fitzgibbon to a three-season contract, starting next year.

With nine preliminary rounds to play, the Wolves are fifth on the ladder, four points behind competition leaders Catalans Dragons.

After sacking former Australian Test forward Josh McGuire recently, Warrington would appear to have an import spot vacant on their roster, potentially opening the door for Fitzgibbon to join them before the play-offs.

But the 29-year-old back-rower insists he has unfinished business with the Knights.

"I am fully committed to playing out the year here," he said.

"I know we're sitting 14^th at the moment, but, look, we're still three points outside the eight.

"It wouldn't sit right with me, and it wouldn't sit right with the club, if I just got up and left out the back door.

"I want to finish my career here at the Knights on a high, and that's what I plan to do.

"There's eight more games and hopefully, hopefully, we can go on a bit of a run and sneak into the top eight."

Fitzgibbon, who debuted for the Knights in 2015 and has appeared in 112 NRL games for his home-town club, said moving to England was "a decision I didn't take lightly".

"I feel like I'm playing some really good footy at the moment and the body's feeling really good," he said.

"I've got plenty of good years ahead of me.

"It's always something I've wanted to do, and in rugby league, it's a lot about timing.

"This just felt like, for me and my partner, that it was the right time."

He said "never say never" to possibly returning to the Knights after his Super League stint.

"I'll be 32 by the end of the deal over there, and it'll all come down to how my body is holding up and how I feel my form's been," he said.

Meanwhile, as Newcastle's designated union representative, Fitzgibbon said the players were 100 per cent behind the RLPA, and called for an independent mediator to resolve the collective-bargaining dispute with the NRL.

"First and foremost, we're united on this front," he said.

"Every single player in the NRL is on the same page. We back [RLPA chief executive] Clint Newton and the RLPA team. It's perceived as their decision, but it's not. It's actually a player-led decision.

"Everyone is buying in on it and hopefully, fingers crossed, over the next week or so we can come to some sort of settlement."

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