'This is the fittest I've ever seen our forward pack': Knights eye Roosters

The NSW and Australian back-rower will be part of a strong Knights side to take on the Sydney Roosters at McDonald Jones Stadium on Thursday night and believes a fitter and faster forward pack will be key to a first-up victory.

"This is the fittest I've ever seen our forward pack, and that's a credit to our [strength and conditioning] team and BJ [coach Ben Jeffries] putting in all of that extra time to get the ks into the legs," Clydsdale said.

"It really showed in that trial game [against Canberra]. I was really impressed with our forward pack. They got us going forward and then allowed our outside backs and our halves to take control. I'm really excited to see what they can do with that extra fitness under their belt."

The 30-year-old's last outing at McDonald Jones Stadium was in NSW's loss to Queensland in Origin II on June 6. The Maroons prevailed 2-1 in the three-match series.

"Experiencing that [Origin] loss has been a big drive to come back to the Knights and not feel that defeat again," Clydsdale said.

"BJ has done a really good job with what he's put out and everyone is competing for positions and that's going to really show on the field, that people will have to perform to keep their spot."

"Every year the calibre of player gets better and that pushes us older ones to be better as well."