Kurt Gidley has always loved playing representative footy.
It's a passion the Club's captain has displayed in a combined total of 27 matches for Country, NSW and Australia dating back to 2004.
As much as Gidley enjoys the thrill of playing with and against the game's best talent though, he admits he was more than happy to sit out this season following a niggling quadricep injury.
Speaking after training on Monday, Gidley says a week's rest has him feeling fit and refreshed for Sunday's vital clash against the Penrith Panthers at Hunter Stadium.
"It’s getting easier to watch them (rep matches), more so because I knew I needed a bit of time off," Gidley says.
"I was looking forward to just letting my body rest and I think I feel a lot better for it this morning.
"It’s the best I’ve felt in a long time.
"Obviously you’d like to play in rep games, but the rest and timing of it was probably the best thing for me.
"It was also good for me to have a bit of time off and recuperate and I feel a bit fresh today, which is good.
"I’ve had a couple of niggling injuries, probably my quad was the main thing.
"I haven’t been goal kicking because I had a little quad strain that has been hanging around for a month or so.
"So I think that was the best thing for me having a bit of time off and doing a bit of physio."
Gidley's attention now turns to the Panthers on Sunday, a vital match for the team and the skipper personally.
"I’m looking forward to getting back and playing for the Knights this week back at home," he says.
"There is also still some work for me to do at hooker.
"We haven’t had a great start to the year and certainly we need to improve as a team.
"While for me personally I still think I’m learning at hooker and I’d like to improve in certain areas of my game there.”
