Newcastle NRL centre Timana Tahu described the mood in the Knights dressing room on Monday night as that of a side that had been flogged.
The Knights had just beaten Penrith 34-14 – their biggest win of the year – but a sloppy finish and the loss of key duo Kurt Gidley and Danny Buderus to injury left the team in a sombre mood.
“It felt the opposite way when I went in … it felt like we got flogged instead of the Panthers got flogged,” Tahu told reporters at Tuesday’s recovery session.
“We’re probably a team that expects more from each other and we’re competitive.
“It’s probably good that we did feel like that even though it was a big scoreline, because we know we’ve got more improvement in us.”
After charging to a 28-4 lead, the Knights conceded two late tries as the effect of having just two fit players on the interchange bench took hold.
Gidley dislocated his shoulder for the second time this year, and a visit to the surgeon in coming days is expected to confirm his season is over.
Buderus had scans on his injured Achilles on Tuesday but was named to play against Sydney Roosters on Sunday.
He will be managed through the week, with Tahu admitting it would be a massive blow for the club to lose both its leaders.
“Having two leaders out, it’s a bit of a worry for us. Danny’s been playing really good football,” Tahu said prior to Buderus being named to play.
“We just need to weather the storm a little bit and stay confident. It’s a team sport and everyone needs to pick up themselves a little bit more.”