The nib Newcastle Knights are blessed with options for 2019.
In the lead-up to the new season, newcastleknights.com.au will look over the depth of the Club and break down the positional options at the disposal of coach Nathan Brown.
This week we take a look at the backrow possibilities.
Aidan Guerra
Guerra's name will be one of the first on the team list when Coach Nathan Brown selects his final 17 for Round 1.
Why you ask?
Guerra featured in all 24 games for the Knights in 2018 and had career bests in most of his statistic.
The 30-year-old had his best season in tackles made and average tackles per game with 954 and 39.8 respectively.
He also crossed for five tries and had a career best in total running metres with 2337.
Guerra is a State of Origin and Test representative and is the Knights leader in the forward pack.
Lachlan Fitzgibbon
Fitzgibbon just gets better every game he plays.
The 24-year-old has improved in leaps and bounds and was one of the best second-rowers in the NRL last season.
He was the competition best forward in line-breaks last season with 12 and was the Knights second leading try-scorer with nine.
He was a knack of breaking the line and is a real handful for opposition defences when he's on his game.
Mitchell Barnett
You know what you're going to get with Mitchell Barnett when he's on the field.
He notched 50 career NRL games in 2018 and continues to get better.
Able to play second-row or lock, Barnett will be the enforcer in Brown's arsenal of forwards for 2019.
Sione Mata'utia
It's hard to believe that Mata'utia is only 22.
He's done it all in such a short amount of time. He's played 90 NRL games, captained the Knights and played for Australia.
Mata'utia spent all of 2018 in the centres but looks certain to return to the backrow where he played in 2017.
Lucky for Brown, Mata'utia can play anywhere in the backline and in the backrow.
Jamie Buhrer
Is there anyone more reliable than Jamie Buhrer on this side?
He's a true leader and a mentor for the younger players at the Club.
He was the co-captain alongside Pearce in 2018, so expect him to continue in a leadership role in 2019.
He's a ball-playing forward who can play in the backrow, hooker or even in the halves.
Brodie Jones
He was named on the extended bench in the Round 22 clash last season against the Panthers but unfortunately didn't get to make his debut.
He's a talented backrower who is a very strong ball running and defender.
Jones is rising at a rapid rate and will push for a debut in 2019.
Sam Stone
The 21-year-old made his debut 2017 and went on to play 16 games in his first season.
He added another two games last season against Melbourne and Canterbury-Bankstown.
He's a hardworking second-rower with a great work ethic.
Beau Fermor
He's the 2018 Jersey Flegg Player of the Year and has signed on with the Knights for another two seasons.
Fermor is a hardworking backrower who has a knack for scoring tries.
He a hard ball runner and he also makes his mark in defence.
Watch out for a potential debut for Fermor is 2019.
