The Newcastle Knights' hopes of a home finals clash were on a slow burn this week as the club's sporting stars put on the Ritz at the NRL side's annual awards evening.
Late season injuries have relegated two starting props to the sidelines, pushing ambitions of hosting a finals clash at Turton Road out to a long shot.
The venue for their next match hinges on the outcome of Friday's face-off between the Rabbitohs and Roosters, with Sydney resting nine players.
Regardless, the Newcastle players rolled up to the red carpet at NEX in Newcastle West on Thursday evening buoyed by the announcement hours earlier that fan favourite Dom Young had signed a three-year extension.
Young has scored 93 tries from 117 NRL appearances spread across the Knights and Roosters since 2021.
The Knights entered the final round at seventh in the ladder, eight points behind minor premiership leaders the Warriors.
Newcastle's bye assures two points, locking in the club's finals campaign despite conceding a bruising loss to the Wahs in Auckland last weekend.
As the first-grade side waited to see how the season's denouement would unfold, the club's NSW Cup squad celebrated a return to finals football for the first time since 2017.
The Knights, who finished third, take on second-placed North Sydney Bears in a qualifying final at Kogarah from 3pm on Saturday, September 5.
