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It was an exciting start to the 2017 season on Thursday afternoon, as representatives from each of the 16 NRL Clubs converged in Sydney to launch the new campaign.

New recruit Rory Kostjaysn, who is a member of the Club's leadership group, made the trip down for the red and blues and told NRL.com that he was excited for the return of football.

"Unfortunately I won't be there Round 1, but I'm really looking forward to seeing the hard work that the boys put in this pre-season hopefully pay off," he said.

"It's a passionate supporter base that we have in Newcastle, so I'm really looking forward to this season."

Kostjasyn is still some way off from his injury return, as he suffered a fracture in his throat.

He said that the squad will be looking to build on a strong trial match result last weekend though, and is pleased for the other players that Round 1 isn't too far away.

"The squad is really excited that the pre-season's over and we get to play some footy," he explained.

"I think that showed in their enthusiasm last weekend against the Raiders.

"Hopefully we can build some momentum going into Round 1."

The Knights kick off 2017 against the New Zealand Warriors in Auckland next weekend.