Two sides who have recently found their form, a place in the eight could be on the line when the Knights and Bulldogs meet in Round 13.
Newcastle will take the field refreshed from a bye while the Bulldogs head to McDonald Jones Stadium buoyed by their 44-12 demolition over the Dragons last Thursday.
Adam O'Brien's men are riding high on the back of a fourth consecutive win in Magic Round, however face a tough month ahead with star centre Bradman Best joining Kalyn Ponga and Tyson Gamble on the sideline after suffering a hamstring injury which also ruled him out of Origin contention.
Cameron Ciraldo, meanwhile, will lose Stephen Crichton and Matt Burton to Origin camp this week, however the performance of halfback Toby Sexton against the Dragons was a great showcase of the Bulldogs' depth this season.
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Team News
Knights: After a week off with the bye the Knights return to action with a couple of changes to the side which beat the Titans in Round 11. Daniel Saifiti returns from suspension to take a place on the bench ahead of Jack Hetherington, while Krystian Mapapalangi comes in for his first game since 2022 to replace the injured Bradman Best at centre. The side will run out as named, with no late changes on Friday night.
Bulldogs: A handful of changes for the Bulldogs one hour before kickoff. Kurt Mann has moved to the bench in his return to the field, with Bailey Hayward to start in his place at lock. Lipoi Hopoi is set to make his NRL debut after being promoted to the interchange in jumper No.19 as Poasa Fa'amausili drops out. Harry Hayes will be the 18th man.
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Stat Attack
- The Knights are aiming for their fifth consecutive victory.
- The Bulldogs are aiming for home and away wins against the Knights for the first time since 2017.
- Knights fullback David Armstrong has scored five tries in his past four games.
- The Bulldogs have won seven of their past nine games in Newcastle.
- Knights winger Greg Marzhew has scored 16 tries in 15 games at McDonald Jones Stadium.
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Stats supplied by David Middleton, League Information Services, author of the .