For Newcastle Knights centre Dane Gagai, the emphasis this week is putting the Knights loss to the Brisbane Broncos behind him and aiming for two big wins at Hunter Stadium to conclude the season.
Although admitting he wasn’t satisfied with his performance on Saturday, the 23-year-old was adamant he’s started the week with a fresh outlook.
“There’s a lot of things I could have done better, but at the end of the day, you’re going to have those days,” he told the media at a press conference on Tuesday.
“I just have to forget it now and look forward to these next two games and make sure I step up for the team.
“I was obviously wanting to play good up there because I had family up there to watch the game, so it was disappointing.
“It’s not the result we wanted.
“We came out in the first half and let in those two tries, but it still felt like we were in the game.
“In the second half we let it get away from us."
Now a major incentive for the team is to take the turbulent season out on a high and making its loyal Members and supporters proud.
“We have two more games left and they’re both home games, so we want to finish off the year on a good note,” he said.
“The mood was good at training and we’re all switched on so we’re looking to do a good job this weekend.”
The Knights face eighth-placed Parramatta Eels on Saturday at Hunter Stadium.
“They’re definitely a strong side and they’ve shown that all throughout this year,” he said.
“They have a lot of stars in their team.
“We just have to make sure we do a job on them and make sure we don’t give (Jarryd) Hayne too much room to move.
“That’s obviously going to be a challenge because as much as you try to plan for it, he’s just one of those players.
“We just have to make sure we go out and make sure we’re switched on.”
Gagai denied feeling added pressure coming up against his former Club last weekend, especially after inaccurate reports in the media stated he wanted to return to Brisbane.
“There was no added pressure there; I was just going out to do my job,” he said.
"I hadn’t said anything to anyone, so when I saw that write-up, I was a bit confused where it came from.
“It just came out of the blue."
Gagai confirmed he is committed to the Club until the end of 2015 and said he hasn’t given any thought about what he intends to do after that.
“I just want to finish off this year with two wins and have a fresh start next year and will hopefully come out firing,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to next season and hopefully doing a bit better than we did this year.
“My focus, like I’ve been saying all throughout this year, has been with the Newcastle Knights.
“I want to do what I came here to do and perform for the team, the Club and the fans."
Buy tickets for Saturday's Knights v Eels game on Saturday August 30 HERE!
