
COACH Adam O'Brien says he "didn't want to die wondering" after backing his new-look halves pairing of Phoenix Crossland and Tyson Gamble to steer the Knights into the finals.
Crossland and Gamble became Newcastle's fifth scrumbase combination of the season in Sunday's 22-14 loss at Penrith, which left the Knights 12th on the ladder, two wins adrift of the top eight, with five rounds to play.