Knights hooker Jayden Brailey is confident Kalyn Ponga will be fit for the season-opener and the five-eighth's calf injury won't hamper the development of Newcastle's new-look spine.
The Knights completed their play-making puzzle last week after signing Lachlan Miller to be fullback.
The 28-year-old's arrival from Cronulla solidifies Ponga's move to six alongside halfback Jackson Hastings, who joined Newcastle from Wests Tigers in November.
Brailey, who missed the first half of last season due to injury but has been unimpeded this summer, is excited to hit the ground running with the 1-6-7-9 formation.
"I think there's a good balance between us all," he said.
"Jacko has got a really calm head on him. He has great football knowledge and knows how to direct a team, which has been a great bonus for us. And his kicking game is putting us in some really good positions as well.
"In terms of KP, we all know what he brings. With Jacko and his ability to direct us around the park, it allows KP to chime in and play his best football, bring that X-factor we all know he has. Lachie is obviously the last piece of the puzzle. He will bring a lot of competitiveness and is a big asset for us."
The four players will have little time together before the club's first competition game against the Warriors on March 3 due to the injury Ponga sustained last month.
The 24-year-old has spent the past few weeks in rehab and is not expected to take part in Newcastle's two trials over the coming fortnight.
Brailey said while the spine would need time to gel he expects Ponga to make a seamless return, saying the playmaker had been working since day one of pre-season to shift to five-eighth.
"It's a shame, but he has only been out for a few weeks. In terms of pre-Christmas, he hadn't missed a beat," Brailey said of Ponga.
"He's going to be right when the season rolls around and he'll slot straight in there. We're not too concerned about that at all. He'll be fine and nail his rehab."
Brailey, a club captain last season, said Newcastle's squad had plenty of "fire in the belly" following last year's 14th-placed campaign and he was confident they could bounce back in 2023.
"Our first week of pre-season we had a really tough camp up in Brisbane and kicking things off with that ... brought our connection a lot closer as a team," he said. "That's spring-boarded us into a really good pre-season.
"We're really moving forward and we want to make amends, and show who we really are. We want to be a hard team to play against every single week."
Newcastle play their first trail against Cronulla at Gosford on Friday night. Prop Leo Thompson won't feature after joining the Maori side for the All Stars clash in New Zealand on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Lakes United product James Johnson impressed in his first start for Brisbane, scoring in their 44-12 trial win over Wynnum. Fellow former Knights lower-grade player and Central Newcastle junior Kurt Donoghoe played in the Dolphins' trial, a 24-8 win over Central Queensland Capras.
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