KNIGHTS coach Adam O'Brien has a favourite saying to describe the intense competition amongst his players as they jostle for selection in next month's trial matches: "The rising tide lifts all boats."
O'Brien is reluctant to speculate on who might play in what positions, pointing out he doesn't have to name a squad until the week leading up to Newcastle's first pre-season hit-out, against Cronulla on February 17.
But if the vast majority of his first 17 will basically pick themselves, after featuring in the 10-game winning streak last season that carried the Knights into the finals, there will still be some tough decisions for the coach, which is exactly how he wants it.
And he is confident the dog-eat-dog intensity will ramp up in the six weeks before Newcastle's season-opening clash with Canberra at McDonald Jones Stadium on March 7.
"This is the best our squad has been in terms of competition amongst themselves," O'Brien told the Newcastle Herald. "They're a competitive squad, especially against each other in our opposed sessions, and stuff like that.
"I don't have to pick a team for a while yet, so at the moment we're just looking at trying to improve as individuals and as a team every day.
"We'll sort the team out later."
There are two obvious vacancies in O'Brien's squad, after the off-season departures of prolific tryscorer Dominic Young (Sydney Roosters) and veteran back-rower Lachlan Fitzgibbon (Warrington).
But the coach also faces several tough calls over positions in the starting 13.
A quick glance at Newcastle's roster would suggest that only seven players appear certain selections in O'Brien's first-choice 13, namely skipper and fullback Kalyn Ponga, winger Greg Marzhew, centres Dane Gagai and Bradman Best, lock Adam Elliott, back-rower Tyson Frizell and prop Leo Thompson.
The rest of the squad is open slather and O'Brien faces a welcome headache in deciding who will fill the remaining six spots in his starting line-up, and who will be his stormtroopers off the bench.
These are the main issues he will have to ponder.
RIGHT WING
After he scored a club-record 25 tries last season, it shapes as an almost-impossible task for Newcastle to fill Young's size-16 boots.
In his 51 top-grade games for Newcastle, the towering Englishman crossed the stripe 43 times, at a strike rate of 84.3 per cent, and rates as arguably the most lethal finisher in the club's history.
But the Knights have signed 22-year-old Tom Jenkins from Penrith, who boasts decent scoring statistics in his own right.
Jenkins' five tries in the top grade have come at an 83.3 per cent strike rate, and in 49 NSW Cup games he has touched down 40 times (81.6 per cent).
He'll be vying for a spot with versatile and experienced Enari Tuala, who has scored a respectable 35 tries in 72 top-grade games for Newcastle, and young tyro Krystian Mapapalangi, returning from a shoulder injury that wrote off his entire 2023 campaign.
NSW Cup fullback David Armstrong could also be an option.
THE HALVES
After steering Newcastle into the finals last season, incumbents Jackson Hastings and Tyson Gamble could argue that possession is nine-tenths of the law.
But the return of Jack Cogger after his game-breaking cameo for Penrith in the 2023 grand final gives O'Brien a viable alternative.
While O'Brien no doubt feels some temptation to stick with the duo who complemented each other in so many ways last year, Cogger has not signed a three-year contract to play reserve grade.
SECOND ROW
English import Kai Pearce-Paul had been earmarked as replacement for the long-serving Fitzgibbon, only to arrive after Wigan's Super League grand final win with a foot injury that required surgery.
That has left him behind the eight-ball, while another contender, 2023 debutant Dylan Lucas, has been troubled by a hamstring strain.
Former South Sydney forward Jed Cartwright could emerge as a surprise option if he continues to impress.
HOOKER
AFTER a breakout 2023 campaign in which he made 25 NRL appearances and was in the mix for a New Zealand Test jersey, Phoenix Crossland hopes to remain as Newcastle's starting hooker.
"I think I've proven I can do it and I love doing it," the 23-year-old said recently.
Jayden Brailey, however, has worked tirelessly to return from his second knee reconstruction and will be hell-bent on making up for lost time.
FRONT ROW
The days of Jacob Saifiti taking a back seat to twin brother Daniel are over.
Jacob finished last season in the starting line-up and represented NSW in the process. Both siblings will be competing with each other to partner Kiwi Test prop Thompson in the first-choice pack.
