Newcastle's dominant start to the year is fading into the rear-view mirror while the reverse is true for Manly, who have all-but forgotten their own dire opening fortnight.
Newcastle stunned the Roosters and humbled Wests Tigers to sit atop the ladder after two rounds, before Mitch Barnett's brain explosion brought them undone against Penrith which was followed by last weekend's loss to nil at Cronulla leaving them wobbling.
The Sea Eagles followed the opposite path, looking lost against the Panthers and Roosters before scraping home against the Bulldogs which led into a convincing win over the Raiders in Mudgee last weekend that has them humming a month into the competition.
They'll need to ensure the loss of star fullback Tom Trbojevic to a knee injury doesn't stunt the momentum they have been able to build.
Sportsbet Betting preview: Knights v Sea Eagles
The Rundown
Team news
Knights: Adam O'Brien has named the same 17 players, with Jacob Saifiti returning to the run-on side with Leo Thompson on the bench. Tyson Frizell has been named despite hamstring tightness last week.
Sea Eagles: Tolutau Koula, who was himself set to replace the injured Tom Trbojevic, has been ruled out with injury. Brad Parker returns to take his place in the centres with Christian Tuipulotu shifting to the wing.
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Key match-up
Adam Clune v Daly Cherry-Evans: With Knights fullback Kalyn Ponga unusually quiet against the Sharks last week and Manly star Tom Trbojevic sidelined, pressure will once again be on the respective number sevens to get the job done this week. Newcastle would have seen the kicking masterclass that DCE delivered last week and their ability to limit his time and opportunities will be key. Clune's one career game against Manly was a 34-4 win when at the Dragons — coincidentally against a Sea Eagles side that was missing Tom Trbojevic. He'll no doubt be hoping that history repeats itself on Thursday night.
Stat attack
Expect the long kicking game to have a big say in this one - Daly Cherry-Evans has the most kicks (62) and second-most kick metres (1838) through four rounds while Jake Clifford has the most kick-metres (1889) from the second-most kicks (53).