Newcastle coach Adam O’Brien will consider resting his stars as the NRL season wears on to ensure the gruelling schedule does not flatten them for finals.
Once the season resumes on May 28, teams will play 18 consecutive rounds plus four weeks of finals, as well as the State of Origin series at the end of the season.
Managing energy levels among the playing group will be a huge consideration for O’Brien, particularly with his representative stars who could take the Knights deep into the finals.
“I’d like to think now I’ve been doing it long enough to understand when a guy is in need of a break or is a little bit flat,” he said on Wednesday.
“We’re not going to be 100 per cent all the time, I get that.
“We’ll use everything from stats to wellness reporting, but I’ve got a pretty good grasp visually and just have a little bit of empathy for what they’re going through.
“There’ll certainly be some dips and troughs along the way, we just have to manage it as staff.
“The best staff that handle this will get the best chance at the end.”
The Knights started the NRL season with two consecutive wins and O’Brien has hammered home the importance of re-starting the season as fast as possible.
Crucial will be finding a balance at hooker to replace Jayden Brailey, who had his season cut short with an ACL injury.
O’Brien is considering Kurt Mann, Connor Watson and Chris Randall to fill in at No.9, but wants a minimal disruption as possible in the spine.
He also confirmed 20-year-old local junior Tex Hoy is set to make his NRL debut at fullback in round three given star Kalyn Ponga’s suspension.
Hoy starred for the Knights over the pre-season in the NRL Nines and returned to training on Wednesday with an impressive time trial.
“If I’m going to stick true to my word and say jerseys will be earned here, they won’t be given away no matter what the circumstance, I can live to that in this case with Tex,” O’Brien said.