Prediction: 11th

Finish: 14th

When Newcastle allowed Mitchell Pearce to go to France in the dying weeks of the pre-season, Knights fans may have been nervous about the back-up plan. Jake Clifford and Adam Clunes may be very good players, but they haven’t played Origin. Clifford played just 12 games in 2022, and Clunes alternated in the halves with the promising Tex Hoy and Phoenix Crossland. Consistency was never a friend of Newcastle in 2022.

Newcastle were on top of the table after two round, but quickly slipped out of the top eight and never looked like qualifying for the finals. They suffered from injuries to key attacking players Kalyn Ponga and Bradman Best, but got good value from wingers Edrick Lee and Dominic Young.

Adam O’Brien has one big job to do to get his team focused on 2023. They have had their share of unsavoury off field incidents in 2022, and need to change their culture if they are going to reach the heights of their 1997 and 2001 counterparts. It’s 21 years since Newcastle made the grand final. They are in danger of slipping into irrelevancy.

GRADE: C-