AFTER too many years as a finals spectator, Tyson Frizell is in no mood to let slip another opportunity slip by.
The Newcastle Knights co-captain is a proven big-game veteran, as evidenced by his 16 State of Origin appearances for NSW and 14 Tests for the Kangaroos.
But in a 236-game NRL career that kicked off with Cronulla in 2011 and included an eight-season stint with St George Illawarra, play-off success has been frustratingly elusive.
Frizell has played in four finals, for one win, when the Dragons hammered Brisbane 48-18 at Suncorp Stadium in 2018, before bowing out a week later against South Sydney.
Now, five years on, Frizell has been a driving force as the Knights have racked up six consecutive victories, climbing to seventh on the ladder with three games to play, starting against South Sydney at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday.
Nobody will be trying harder than Frizell to ensure the Knights are involved in the post-season.
"I guess it's part of footy that everyone wants to be involved in, but it's very hard to get to," Frizell said.
"Obviously that's where we want to be playing at the end of the year, but we've still got three games to go and we haven't cemented a spot.
"We all know that there's still a bit of hard work to be done, leading into the finals, and hopefully we can get it done. We're heading in the right direction. We're on a bit of a streak and now it's about improving on this week so we're better next week."
Premiership success remains the Holy Grail for Frizell, the only unticked box on his career CV.
"That's what you want to be doing as a footy player, playing in grand finals. That's the dream," he said.
"It's something I've been striving for my whole career, and it's not easy.
"I think I've been in the NRL for 13 years now, and it's always been up at the top of the goals list. I'd love to be part of that, but there's still a long way to go and you can't look too far ahead."
Frizell had an extra fan in the McDonald Jones Stadium crowd last Sunday when the Knights beat Canterbury 42-6, three-day-old Oaklon, a brother for Axton and Easton.
"I picked her [wife Samantha] up from hospital this morning and she was adamant she wanted to come to the game," he said. "So it's the little fella's first game, and it was nice to have him here."
While Frizell was delighted to cap off a special week with a comprehensive victory, he wasn't completely satisfied.
"We probably played well for 45 minutes of the 80, and we'll need to be better than that against a team like South Sydney," he said.
