VENUE & TIME: EnergyAustralia Stadium, Sunday - 15:00
COVERAGE: Channel 9
LAST TIME: Knights 26 - Tigers 24, Telstra Stadium, round 25, 2007
WALKING WOUNDED: Newcastle is already without Kurt Gidley (fractured cheekbone) and Matt Hilder (suspension) and give up Ben Cross and Danny Buderus to Origin. There are also doubts over Danny Wicks, Jesse Royal, Cory Paterson and Cooper Vuna. In comparison, the Tigers are pretty much at full strength, with Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah returning.
FORM: Newcastle had no ball and hardly ventured into Melbourne's territory but still came up with a terrific performance against the premiers. But how much did that very physical Monday night encounter take out of the Knights? The Tigers have been fairly ordinary to date but this could be the day their season gets going. If they don’t win here it could be a long, bleak winter for the joint venture outfit.
WHO'S HOT: Much like the Tigers, Robbie Farah's season has struggled to get going due to a persistent back injury. He will be looking to make up for lost time against the Knights and could turn on something special. His creativity around the rucks is a huge plus for the joint venture side.
WE THINK: This is a tricky one to predict. Newcastle at home always gives good value but the Tigers look their strongest in a long time. With a heap of players missing and the bruises still evident from Monday night, the Knights might struggle to hold off the fresher Tigers. Having Marshall and Farah back is a huge plus for the visitors. They have no excuses not to perform at their peak against the depleted Knights. Wests by 8
Knights: 1. Wes Naiqama, 2. James McManus, 3. Adam MacDougall, 4. Keith Lulia, 5. Cooper Vuna, 6. Chris Bailey, 7. Jarrod Mullen, 8. Danny Wicks, 9. Matt Hilder, 10. Jesse Royal, 11. Chris Houston, 12. Cory Paterson, 13. Zeb Taia
Interchange: 14. Scott Dureau, 15. Cameron Ciraldo, 16. Daniel Tolar, 17. Steve Simpson, 18. Junior Sau, 19. Richard Fa'aoso
Wests Tigers: 1. Brett Hodgson (c), 2. Taniela Tuiaki, 3. Dean Collis, 4. Chris Lawrence, 5. Shannon McDonnell, 6. Benji Marshall, 7. John Morris, 8. Bryce Gibbs, 9. Robbie Farah, 10. Keith Galloway, 11. Ben Te'o, 12. Chris Heighington, 13. Dene Halatau
Interchange: 14. Liam Fulton, 15. Danny Galea, 16. Corey Payne, 17. Mathew Head