I think the difference between the Knights now, and a top 4 spot is consistency. Not only playing for the full 80, but getting that consistency out of Mullen. He is one of the most gifted halves in the comp on his day. He has all the tools, but just lacks the mental state to control games of football on a consistent basis.
His long kicking game is top 3 in the comp without a doubt. On his day he can control games on kicking alone, but apart from the first 2 games this year, and a few games here and there we havent seen it too much. He defence this year has also been Soward-esque, however Im not sure how much of that comes down to playing with a dodgy pec/shoulder.
Our backline will be top-5 in the NRL on paper. Uate and McManus would have to be one of the most hard working winger combinations in the game. McManus doesnt have the flash of Uate, but he holds nothing back in his runs, and is a good finisher. Out of Naiqama, Tahu and Sau we should also have a competitive centre pairing. And there arent too many Fullbacks as good as Boyd.
Our defense has been very physical this season, something the knights havent had in many, many years. It has the tendency to get a little soft around the ruck during the second half though, but with a fully fit Hilder it is much better. The go forward from the props has been much improved too after a dissappointing 2010.
The biggest question mark though is who is going to play Hooker? especially if Buderus' transfer doesnt get sorted. Hilder is just a stop gap hooker, and Gidley has shown he has the tools, but Im not sure his body will handle 40+ tackles a game week in, week out, especially with the way he plays the game.
