Nine off-contract Newcastle Knights players - headed by starting forwards Tyson Frizell, Lachlan Fitzgibbon and Kurt Mann - are fighting it out for just six remaining top-30 roster spots for 2024.
And that number could drop to just four if the club opts to fill the final two positions left this season before June 30 with players from rival clubs signed to longer-term deals rather than promote from within, which seems the most likely scenario.
It's understood the Knights already have 23 players on top-30 contracts for next season. It will become 24 if emerging Dylan Lucas takes up an option in his favour for next year as expected. That's taking into account the defection of winger Dom Young to the Roosters.
Included in that list of signings are English Super League recruits Kai Pearce-Paul and Will Pryce. It's understood the other new faces in the 2024 top squad will be promoted youngsters Oryn Keeley, Ryan Rivett, Paul Bryan and Myles Martin
Besides Frizell, Fitzgibbon and Mann, the other off-contract players in the top squad are Hymel Hunt, Adam Clune, Bailey Hodgson, Jack Johns, Brodie Jones and Enari Tuala.
Given co-captain Jayden Brailey has suffered a second season-ending knee injury, it would seem imperative the Knights sign a specialist hooker as back-up for next year if another hooker is not signed for the remainder of this season. You would think replacing Young with another winger should also be a priority, particularly if Hunt and Tuala are both cut loose.
If the club was to re-sign Frizell, Fitzgibbon and Mann, who have all performed strongly this season, that could leave only one spot left to be filled.
Where that scenario leaves the likes of Jones and Johns remains to be seen.
BADGE OF HONOUR
Former Knights assistant coach Willie Peters has had a great start to his senior coaching career in England.
Peters' Hull KR side, captained by ex-Knight Shaun Kenny-Dowall, has won its past five matches straight to be sitting third in the Super League competition in his first season at the helm.
One of those wins was against World Club Championship winners St Helens, while they thrashed Hull FC 40-0 in their local derby clash a few weeks back.
Not surprisingly, the club's supporter base are lauding Peters' efforts. So much so, they have even created an "I Love Willie Peters" badge for charity that sold out in a matter of days.
ROOM TO IMPROVE
There is no question the Knights have shown far more resilience and desire this season and probably haven't been fully rewarded for their efforts on the scoreboard.
But if coach Adam O'Brien was looking for areas that need big improvements, we've identified two.
A lack of defensive line speed is one of those areas which the Cowboys exploited last weekend in Townsville. According to stats going into last night's clash against Parramatta, the Knights had, on average, given up more metres per set in defence than any other team.
That suggests the side's line speed is at least among the slowest in the NRL.
Another interesting stat is the team's second-half error rate. The Knights are ranked fifth for completed first-half set percentages but they drop alarmingly to 16th for sets completed in the second half of games.
JACK'S BACK SEAT
Knights prop Jack Hetherington hardly trained in the pre-season with his new club due to off-season surgery and a subsequent injury.
Which may explain to a certain degree his limited playing time this season from the bench. But it's still hard to fathom why he is not being utilised more by coach Adam O'Brien.
Going into last night's clash with the Eels, Hetherington was averaging just 25 minutes per game over the first eight weeks of the competition.
In the preceding two games, he played just 16 minutes against the Cowboys and 21 minutes against Penrith.
BANS PUT A DENT IN JUNIORS
Suspensions could cost the Knights a chance of winning a rare double in today's NSWRL junior grand finals at Leichhardt Oval.
The Knights take on the Eels in the SG Ball (under-19s) and the Bulldogs in the Harold Matthews (under-17s) deciders.
But the Ball side will go in under-strength against Parramatta after the loss of forwards Jermaine McEwen and Tama Whareaorere, who were both suspended after last weekend's preliminary final win.
The Matthews side was also in danger of losing a key player to suspension but star halfback Haami Loza was cleared of a two-match ban.
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