Dane Gagai is motivated by the chip on his shoulder.
By the outside noise telling him he is in the twilight of his career.
Past his prime.
Beyond his best.
Real or perceived, the doubters and detractors have spurred the 33-year-old Newcastle centre to one of the most consistent club seasons of his 14-year NRL career.
And after signing a contract extension earlier this season, locking him in at the Knights until at least the end of 2025 with a mutual option for 2026, he has no plans of calling time any time soon.
"People like to put the tag on me that I'm at the back end of my career but I'm not buying into that. I don't see it that way," Gagai told NRL.com.
"Everyone's going to have an opinion, but my body still feels good, touch wood.
"I guess you could say I'm playing with a chip on the shoulder, with everyone saying I'm getting old now, but I don't feel that way. I feel like I can go another four [years].
"I'm enjoying playing footy at the moment, and what we've been able to do these last couple of weeks, and now we've put ourselves in a position to make finals."
The immediate future is the only concern for Gagai right now, as he prepares for a sudden death clash with the Dolphins for eighth place in front of a likely sell-out crowd at McDonald Jones Stadium next Sunday.
Gagai ran for 190 metres and produced two try assists for rookie winger Fletcher Sharpe in Newcastle's 36-14 victory over the Titans at the same venue on Sunday, keeping the Knights in the finals race until the final round.
Knights v Titans – Round 26, 2024
Barring the unlikely event of a draw, which would open the door for the winner of the Dragons-Raiders game at Kogarah next Saturday, the winner of the Knights-Dolphins match will secure the final spot in the top eight.
"We've put ourselves in a position now where whoever wins this next game gets that eighth position," Gagai said.
"This is an important one for us and we believe we can get the job done but at the end of the day, we've got to prepare well. As happy as we were to win this game, it just gives us an opportunity."
The fact that the Dolphins are coached by Wayne Bennett only adds extra significance, especially for Gagai, considering his long association with the Hall of Fame mentor whose illustrious career included a stint in Newcastle from 2012 to 2014.
Bennett's relationship with Gagai began at Broncos, before he coached him in Newcastle from 2012-to-2014, and again at South Sydney from 2019 to 2021.
Of the 17 Newcastle players who will take the field against the Dolphins next Sunday, the 288-game veteran is the sole survivor from Bennett's three-year reign at the Knights.
"The one thing that I took away from his role as a coach, he's not going to be talking to them too much about shape or structure," Gagai said.
"He will be getting the boys up and building their confidence to come out and do a job against us.
"That's what he does well. He gets his players up and builds confidence in them to play footy ... I know he's going to get them up for a dogfight and we've got to come with the same attitude.
"We're coming up against a side who had a good performance against the Broncos, and they'll be looking to back that up against us, so we've got to do everything we can to leave no stone unturned in our preparation and put ourselves in a position to win this game."
Not surprisingly, Gagai has maintained a strong relationship with Bennett since they went their separate ways at the end of their 2021 campaign at the Rabbitohs.
But he is unlikely to be in touch this week as they prepare in rival camps chasing the same goal.
"Any time I get a chance to catch up with him, I do. He's been so influential in my career, and he was a big part in re-booting my career when I got let go from the Broncos," Gagai said.
"He got me down here [to Newcastle] and he was a great mentor for me here, then I had him at Souths as well, and through that Origin period, so he's been a massive influence on my career and me being able to be where I am today.
"A lot of that is a credit to him, so any time I get a chance to catch up with him, it's always a pleasure. I love seeing the big fella.
"He obviously doesn't say too much in front of the media but I always love my chats with him."
Apart from his own consistent performances in the centres, Gagai has been a mentor to 20-year-old Sharpe, his new right-edge partner, who has scored 10 tries in just 10 NRL games this season.
A very Sharpe hat-trick
"Being with 'Gags' on that edge would certainly help, and would make him [Sharpe] feel comfortable," Knights coach Adam O'Brien said.
"Gags talks really well, he understands the game, and his season has been really under-rated.
"If he's not been our best each week, he's been our most consistent performer, Gags. So, Fletch being alongside him, and Gags consistently playing well inside him, that only helps."
Gagai said Sharpe, whose hat-trick against the Titans followed a four-try haul against Wests Tigers three weeks earlier, needed little guidance from him.
"To be honest, I feel like I don't have to do too much with him," Gagai said.
"I've loved having him outside me. He's just one of those instinctive footy players who reads the game well off the back of being a fullback, and he's been doing his job well.
"So, I guess as a leader, I haven't really had to tell him to do much, just to get that connection between each other, and I think we're doing that really well."
