Why Lachlan Fitzgibbon is leaving the Knights in a better place

Regardless of how far Newcastle progress in this season's NRL finals, starting with a sudden-death showdown against Canberra at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday, it is beyond dispute that they have come a long way since August 2, 2015 - the day that Fitzgibbon made his top-grade debut in a 46-24 loss to St George Illawarra at Kogarah Oval.

At the time, the Knights were rapidly plummeting towards their lowest ebb.

In the days leading up to Fitzgibbon's selection, coach Rick Stone had been sacked. Six weeks later, Newcastle collected the dreaded wooden spoon - the first of three in succession.

For the young back-rower from South Newcastle, who joined the Knights in Jersey Flegg (under-17s), it was the harshest of initiations.

Wins were few and far between. Of his first 14 games in the NRL, only once did he celebrate a victory. Some had it even worse.

Yet gradually, first under Nathan Brown and then Adam O'Brien, the Knights started rebuilding from the ground up, making headway and climbing the ladder.

And now, eight years later, here they are preparing for the club's first final on home soil since 2006, when names like Andrew Johns, Danny Buderus, Kurt and Matt Gidley and Steve Simpson featured on the team sheet.

"It's been a bit of a journey," Fitzgibbon told the Newcastle Herald.

"I think it makes it a bit more special knowing where we've come from and what we've had to endure and come through to now, in 2023, running fifth and having a home semi.

"I couldn't have asked for a better way to finish my career here."

As well as Fitzgibbon, who after more than 100 games for his home-town club is joining Super League club Warrington on a three-year deal at the end of this season, the other survivors of Newcastle's darkest days are Twin Towers Daniel and Jacob Saifiti and veteran centre Dane Gagai, the latter after returning in 2022 from a four-year stint at South Sydney.

Between 2016 and 2017, all four were part of a club-record 19-game losing streak.

Now they have come full circle by helping Newcastle string together nine consecutive victories to match the club's longest-ever winning sequence, which they can supersede by beating Canberra on Sunday.

"When you put it like that, it's a bit surreal," Jacob Saifiti said. "We had some tough years there, but I feel like we stuck strong and came out the other side of it.

"But we've still got a job to do ... I'm excited to have a home semi. It's my first time."

Daniel Saifiti remembers those formative years with mixed emotions. While the Knights copped repeated hammerings, in amongst the carnage was opportunity.

"When we came in, it was a hard time in terms of wins and losses, but it was an easy time to get a jersey," Saifiti said. "We were in the right place at the right time.

"The hard thing obviously was only winning one game in that first year.

"At other clubs, players might have the luxury of coming into a team and playing in finals straight away. That's probably something we should be striving for now. We're the senior players who should be helping the young guys settle into an established team.

"That wasn't the case for us, back in the day. We sort of had to fend for ourselves.

"It's all about being a caretaker for the jersey and making it a better place for the next person. The next generation are coming through and we want to create something for them."

Daniel noted that Fitzgibbon, Jacob and himself were "the last ones standing" from that intake of players.

"We were a lot of young guys back then who didn't know any better," Daniel said.

"It's good that we've been on this long ride together. To get where we are now, with this winning streak and a home final, there's been a lot of hard work.

"This year I think we've just been building all year. There've been a lot of games where it could have gone either way and we've stuck to it and it's paying dividends."

Gagai's most vivid memory of Newcastle's three years in the competition cellar was the unwavering support of the Novocastrian faithful.

"This town has always been awesome, even during those wooden-spoon years," Gagai said. "To be on the opposite end, going into finals and hopefully giving them something to cheer about, it's only repaying what they've done for us."

And as far as Fitzgibbon is concerned, he intends to continue reimbursing those diehard supporters for a few weeks yet.

"I'd love nothing more than to leave this place with a grand final," he said.

"That would be absolutely amazing ... how far can we go? I think we can go all the way.

"We've managed to show against the best teams in the comp, we can foot it with them. We took Penrith to golden point and then we took the Broncos down to the wire, and we've beaten all the other teams in the eight.

"So why not? I think our best footy can beat any team."

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