When Newcastle captain Kurt Gidley announced in May he would see out his career playing for Warrington in the English Super League, his teammates knew he had selflessly ensured the future of the club.
Gidley's departure meant that the Knights could keep the likes of the Mata'utia brothers, Jake Mamo and Tyler Randell in the Hunter beyond this season.
It was Gidley's way to leave a lasting legacy.
This weekend the veteran utility will become the second-most capped player in the club's history – overtaking immortal Andrew Johns – when he plays his 250th and final NRL game at Hunter Stadium.
Young Knights hooker Adam Clydsdale, who has been lucky enough to spend the first three years in the NRL alongside Gidley, had no hesitation giving his skipper the ultimate compliment.
"He's just a legend bloke," Clydsdale told NRL.com.
"You can go up to him and despite everything he has done in the game you never question whether you should go up and talk to him because he's a very approachable bloke. He's just a great to get along with and you can talk to him about anything.
"If you need help getting something done, he's the first bloke to put his hand up to come help you, so for him to be like that is unbelievable.
"For me, he has given me a lot of confidence. He's always telling me to back myself and he's always there for me. He's always been there for a lot of us younger boys.
"For example, Jake Mamo I know he's helped him out a lot as he looks to help complete the transition to fullback. Gids' has done everything at the highest level so to play and train alongside someone who I've watched growing up is a dream come true."
There could be no better way to celebrate Gidley's successes than the Knights' Old Boys' Day.
Under interim coach Danny Buderus, Clydsdale said their focus has been solely on sending out the club's departing players in the best way possible.
"We just want to send the boys who are leaving on a good note," Clydsdale said.
"Obviously Kurt Gidley is a legend of the club then there's David Fa'alogo, Clint Newton and even the other boys going to other clubs like Beau Scott so it'd be good to send them out on a high.
"Because of that there hasn't been much talk about the bottom of the ladder. But Bedsy has already told us to expect an emotional day this Saturday.
"It's obviously in celebration of our last home game of the year and Kurt's milestones, so we want to get the win for our fans who have stuck with us this season, in what has been a very tough year."
Their shock 20-6 win over the Melbourne Storm was a good way to kick off their final three weeks of the season, and now they are looking to make the Bulldogs' road to the finals as bumpy as possible.
Allaying any fears of the Knights falling flat after their hard-fought victory on Monday, Clydsdale and his teammates are ready to rip into the Bulldogs.
"Plenty of the boys said, and I definitely believe, that it was our most enjoyable game of the season and it was probably one of the hardest games we've been in. So I think the boys are keen to run out there and finish the season strong more importantly," Clydsdale said.
"We know the Bulldogs have a real big pack and they're going to try and go straight through us so I suppose we'll try and execute a similar game plan to the one we used against Melbourne and their big boys. If we win the ruck then I think we're in with a real big shot so it's just a matter of staying in the grind longer than them."
