The Newcastle Knights travel to Wollongong this weekend looking to tidy up the parts of their game that nearly cost them last round.  

While preparing for an unpredictable St George Illawarra Dragons match-up, head coach Justin Holbrook says the focus in training this week has been defense. 

“Last game against the Rabbitohs we obviously had to defend our line on the final play of the match to win it,” Holbrook explained.  

“We made a few too many errors and invited them back into the game. 

“It was a bit of a roller coaster ride, but all in all, we won and that was awesome.  

“Our attacking systems are great. 

“We don’t need to add more to that. 

“We just need to find more effort for defense when our energy has been zapped.  

“More effort and energy needs to be put into our defense, especially when we don’t have momentum. 

“It’s just hard the way the game’s played now; changed momentum in games and how fast it is.  

“We’ve just got to rack up the wins.”  

The Knights has kept the same team this week, something Holbrook admitted was a relief.  

“It was really quick doing the team list this week, which was great,” he said. 

“The more of that, the better I’ll sleep.” 

With the Dragons still looking to claim their first win of the season, they are likely to be a threat in this weekend’s game.

“They’re probably at their most dangerous time,” Holbrook told the Newcastle Weekly.  

“Coming off a bye and with a new coach.  

“They’ve had two weeks to prepare.  

“We’re expecting a fresh start and a fresh change.  

“They would be feeling really good about themselves and it’s up to us to nullify that and make sure we play well.”  

The Dragons will also be welcoming back their co-captain, Clint Gutherson, who is returning from a hamstring injury.  

“His return doesn’t change our approach but it definitely will give them a lift,” Holbrook said.   

“He’s that real type of inspirational leader with his actions and they’ve probably missed that the most.  

“It’s still up to us to go out there and play well.”  

The match also doubles as the annual Alex McKinnon Cup, honouring former player Alex McKinnon who represented both clubs.  

Holbrook says McKinnon’s story would be shared with the group as part of the preparation.  

“We all know Alex’s story,” he said.  

“It will be discussed again, for sure.  

“Obviously we would be honoured to go down and win the game for him.”  

Veteran centre Dane Gagai will again play through a minor injury, something Holbrook says is common across the competition at this stage of the season.  

“It’s just part of the game,” Holbrook explained.   

“Unless it’s round one, most players aren’t playing 100 per cent.  

“However, Gagai is good enough to play and that’s the main thing.”  

With the Knights having all their experienced players back, the team is set to hold their own when they play away on Saturday.

“It’s definitely given our group confidence in having them back,” Holbrook said.   

“Even leading up to last weekend’s game, their inclusion alone just gave us all a big lift, which we needed.  

“We’re going to get better as a side.  

“The combinations that those guys are going to form is just going to improve dramatically as the season goes on.  

“The more we play together the more we’ll get better.”  

Kick-off is at 3pm tomorrow at WIN Stadium, Wollongong.  

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