The experience Newcastle prop Tim Glasby gained during six seasons with Melbourne should prove invaluable as the Knights navigate the final eight weeks of their top-eight quest.
The 30-year-old Queenslander played for Melbourne in the past three grand finals, and the Storm have featured in every finals series since his NRL debut in 2013 – the last year the Knights reached the playoffs.
Feeling refreshed after a few days off after completing his Origin commitments with the Maroons, Glasby has been named at lock for Newcastle’s game against premiers Sydney Roosters at the SCG on Saturday afternoon.
The Knights have slipped to seventh after losing two on the trot to the Bulldogs and Warriors, and three of their past four. They will almost certainly slide out of the eight if beaten by the Roosters.
"It's a tough time of year, this one, because there's a lot of niggles and little injuries and there's still a gap between now and finals, so it's a bit of a grind this time of year," Glasby said on Friday.
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"Everyone's a bit tired and sore but you have to keep going well otherwise you'll find yourself in a lot of trouble as you head towards the finals.
"If you can focus on doing well this week, then we'll focus on doing well next week. I know it's a bit of a cliché but you just worry about the week in front of you, and if you’re doing that well, the finals – or your place on the ladder – will sort itself out."
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Glasby has been an open book to his teammates since arriving in Newcastle last summer and is more than happy to continue sharing his knowledge in the final third of the regular season.
"I'll bring any experience that I've got or they want, and I'll help out wherever I can," Glasby said.
"I've had some good experience in this part of the year and the back end of the year, but the main experience is just focusing on this week and getting the job done against the Roosters."
In Glasby and NSW props David Klemmer and Daniel Saifiti, the Knights will start with three Origin middle forwards against the star-studded Roosters pack.
Fellow middle James Gavet, who will come off the bench, is keen to redeem himself after a costly sin-binning for a late tackle in the final stages of Newcastle's 20-14 loss to the Bulldogs last Friday.
Canterbury turned an 8-0 deficit into a 14-8 lead while Gavet was off the field for his late shot on Bulldogs lock Chris Smith. He was charged with grade-one dangerous contact but pleaded guilty and avoided suspension.
Without singling Gavet out, coach Nathan Brown addressed the issue of discipline at a team meeting earlier this week, but the Samoan international is determined to make amends after his second sin-binning in their past three games.
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"Five or six weeks ago, that would have got let go or, at most, probably a penalty, but I've still got to be at fault here," Gavet said.
"We got told and reminded, not only by what's been said on social media about the refs, but all our coaching staff said we've got to make sure we're a lot cleaner around this area, so something I had been used to doing ended up coming back to haunt me."
Gavet wants to continue to play with aggression but acknowledged he had to re-establish the fine line between intimidation and indiscretion.
"At this point in time, I've got to make sure I'm able to keep up to par with the boys but also make sure that I stay on the paddock when I do get my shot out there," he said.
"I thought I was a bit hard done by but, like I said before, the refs … are trying to make a change in the game and obviously I was one of the ones who copped it over the weekend."
