Knights deflect the pressure

Newcastle skipper Steve Simpson has deflected all the off-field dramas at the club by saying the Knights are under no extra pressure heading into their 2010 NRL season opener against the Bulldogs on Saturday.

The Knights have been rocked in recent weeks by the loss of key forwards Danny Wicks and Chris Houston with both players under police investigation for drug trafficking and the news has forced the club administrators into crisis talks with sponsors.

However, Simpson is adamant that the players are not feeling the pressure heading into Saturday's Round 1 fixture.

"No more than usual," he said. "There is a fair bit of pressure going into the first game of any year, but we just want to go out there and play really well. That is the key for us … win or lose we want to play well."

"We want to show that we are committed to each other and if we can do that on Saturday night I don't think we will be far off the mark. But we certainly want to jump out of the blocks with a bang."

"I don't feel we are under as much pressure as people say we are."

"We have had a good off season and the boys are really training hard and getting some good combinations together. So we have just got to go out there and get our season started by playing some good footy like we have trained."

Simpson said he viewed the loss of Wicks and Houston as an opportunity for some of the club's talented youngsters to show their wares and stake a claim in the run-on squad.

"I think every player will step up and take a bit more responsibility," he said.

"Two players have gone but it is an opportunity for two more. So I think it is a great opportunity for some of our younger players to get in the side to start with and make a career out of it."

Knights coach Rick Stone echoed the sentiments and said he hoped the team's on-field performance would quell some of the ill-feeling aimed at the club.

"I think one of the biggest things we are looking for is that unity, to have that resolve that we are talking about and make sure that we can show, not only ourselves but our fans and possibly the rest of the rugby league public, that the Knights aren't a basket case," Stone said.

"We have handled things pretty well and we are looking forward to playing some footy now and it is the time for us to stand up and be counted. Sure there is a bit of pressure there but there is pressure on all the other teams going into the first game as well."

Simpson admitted that the players have endured some criticism in the media and from fans and he is sure some more would be thrown their way on Saturday by the Bulldogs players and fans, but he said it wouldn't affect their game.

"The Bulldogs fans are always pretty boisterous and we expect no less, and we have always copped a bit from them anyway," he said.

"You take in what you want to take in and use it as a bit of motivation and a lot of it we might get a bit of a laugh out of it as well. So I think