As thrilled as the Knights' NYC team was with their 48-point win over the Cowboys on Monday night, it didn't take long for the side's focus to shift to Sunday's top-of-the-table match against Parramatta.
In fact, the sweat of battle was still evident on the forehead of halfback Jaelen Feeney when he told us in the sheds post-match he's had the Eels' clash circled in his calendar for weeks now.
"I’ve been looking forward to this clash for a while," Feeney tells Knights TV.
"They are probably the benchmark other than us, so it’s going to be a good test for us.
"But I think the boys are up for it and they’ll take a lot of confidence out of this win over the Cowboys.”
Led by a hat-trick to Feeney, the Knights charged to a dominant victory to regain their position on top of the Holden Cup ladder.
The Queensland-born playmaker says his team's start to the match was the most pleasing aspect of the win.
"We were pretty scrappy last week, but to put in a performance like that at home against a bustling Cowboys side that were talking it up all week was great," he says.
"We have been slow to get into games, but today we came out firing and led 34-0 at halftime.
"Our main focus of the week was to come out and start well and we did that.
"We lost our way a little bit in the second half there, but we came home strongly."
Feeney was well supported in the halves by five-eighth Sam Keenan, who put in a solid performance replacing a rested Jacob Gagai.
"Sam was unreal," Feeney enthuses.
"He takes the pressure off me a bit and he has got an unreal kicking game and kicks to the corners.
"Sometimes he overrides the call, but he does it at the right time and it takes a lot of pressure off me."
Coach Mick Crawley was rapt with Feeney's game against North Queensland, an individual effort he described as his best for the season.
"I thought Jaelen was really good," Crawley beams.
"He is coming back from a rib injury and he is finally back to one hundred per cent."
Like Feeney, Crawley also can't wait for Sunday's match-up against the Eels at Pirtek Stadium.
"Along with us, Parramatta has probably been one of the more consistent sides," he says.
"So it will be a really good test at their home ground and one we are looking forward to."
