KNIGHTS coach Adam O'Brien is backing his team to produce another escape act, only this time without the magic of Kalyn Ponga to inspire them.
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Newcastle are 15th on the ladder, after two wins from their first seven games, and somehow need to stay in touch with the top-eight teams during the 12 weeks they are expected to be without Ponga as he recovers from surgery to repair a ruptured foot ligament.
The Knights have been widely written off by the media, bookmakers and fans, but it is not the first time they have been in this situation since O'Brien was appointed coach in 2020.
Last year they came from nowhere to win 10 consecutive games and clinch fifth position in the play-offs.
And in 2021, they were 14th on the points table after 14 games, only to win seven of their next nine fixtures to qualify for the finals a week ahead of schedule.
"I think what we did do well last year is we didn't flinch," O'Brien said on Friday.
"We blocked out all the outside noise, [people saying]: 'Oh, they're gone'.
"We just kept training with intensity ... that's what we'll be doing this time.
"If people want to write us off, that's fine. But we won't be walking around feeling sorry for ourselves.
"We'll fight our way through this, through our preparation and our games on the weekend."
O'Brien hopes his players take some offence from the theory that they can't win without Ponga.
"I'd estimate that it would irk them a bit, just being told they're a one-man team," O'Brien said.
"But we've just got to get on with things now.
"Whatever motivation we need as individuals, we'll need a really good team performance up there on Sunday to beat the Dolphins."
After last week's 36-12 loss to Canterbury, O'Brien admitted that his players were "frustrated" that they weren't living up to pre-season expectations.
They would now appear to have nothing to lose, as was the case when they launched their winning streak last year.
"I don't think we want to avoid pressure, because as the saying goes, pressure is a privilege and it means what we're doing is important," O'Brien said.
"But I do think we've got a bit of a re-set, which is desperately needed.
"Now that we haven't got Kalyn, if anyone was - and I'm not sure if it is the case - but if anyone was sitting back thinking 'KP will get this done for us', well we can't have that now.
"What we will get is more commitment across the 80 minutes from 17 guys, now that we don't have him."
He acknowledged the turnaround had to start on Sunday by "fighting for every inch" against the Dolphins.
