It's been a long time since the Knights were a relevant football side at this time of the year.

Their streak of three-consecutive wooden spoons ended in 2018 with an 11th-placed finish 12 points outside the Top 8. It was an improvement, but far from a finished product.

The rebuild appeared set to stall given their awful start to the 2019 season. However, a six-game winning streak between Round 7 and 13 gave life to the idea the Knights could make a run towards the top four.

An eye-opening five weeks that included an embarrassing loss to the Bulldogs and a reality check at the hands of the Roosters has put an end to that idea and turned the focus back to the rebuild at hand.

It's become painfully clear for some that it's not close to complete.

While "rebuild" is an often misused term used to mindlessly explain away poor seasons, the Knights are a genuine case. They're coming from a place few other clubs have before. Every move they make today is made with one eye on the future. 

The future looks good, too.

But there's a long way to go before the Knights get there.

The Build So Far

The first consideration when assessing the Knights rebuild is obvious and needs little explaining: Kalyn Ponga.

He's the framework of the Knights. Central to everything today and into the future, the 21-year old is the most significant determinant of who does what, where on the field, and when in attack. If Ponga isn't affecting a play with the ball in his hands, the team is more often than not working to a position on the field to get it to him.

With seven tries in 14 games, Ponga has already scored more than he did in his 20 games throughout 2018 (six).

His try assists numbers are up this season, too.

Holding up his run perfectly here to expose the jagged defensive line and the lazy defender inside, Ponga handed out his ninth try assist of the season last week - just two short of his 2018 total already.

Ponga can't do any of that without David Klemmer laying the foundations first, though.

After finishing last in running metres for the third-straight season in 2018, the Knights knew they had to improve on their 1,409 running metres per game.

Blessed with the good luck a rebuilding team often needs to jump to the next level, Klemmer became available. He's everything the Knights needed. A consistent and robust ball-carrier, one that will do the hard yards when necessary and capable of bending the line when the team is running downhill.

His numbers in 2019 have been typically brilliant.

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Jason Taumalolo is the only forward averaging more than Klemmer's 176 metres per game. The Tongan is also the only forward running the ball more than Klemmer's 18.1 carriers per game. Klemmer is doing all of that while leading all full-time props in the competition in minutes played at 61.9 per game.

Between Ponga and Klemmer, the Knights have two of the most important parts of a successful football side covered and locked up long-term.

It's Mitchell Pearce that stands over them, acting as the old head and keeping the team in check. His influence on the side has been immeasurable, and when he's at his best, the Knights look like a long-standing Top 8 side.

Pearce is arguably the most valuable player at the club right now.

He's the link between Klemmer's go-forward through the middle and Ponga's electric ball playing out the back.

In career-best form throughout the middle stages of the season and earning an Origin re-call, we're seeing Newcastle's limitations when Pearce isn't dominating. His form has taken a dip recently. As a result, the Knights have lost four of their last five games.

It hasn't been through a lack of trying. He touched the ball 89 times in their loss to the Bulldogs and still leads all players outside of hookers in touches with 69.1 per game.

Ponga, Klemmer and Pearce are the core of the club's on-field performances. Looking around the NRL as a whole, there aren't too many better three-man groups to build a team around.

It's the cladding around them that will determine when the rebuild is complete, and how it stacks up at the end of it.

Work To Be Done

The problem with rebuilds in any sense of the word is that they regularly go over time and over budget.

That appears to be the case here.

Finishing last for three consecutive years and recording a single win in a season is too long for a rebuild in a salary cap competition. It's a prime example of "rebuild" being used as an excuse for poor strategy and recruitment. Nevertheless, the Knights have slowly worked their way into a genuine rebuild over the last two seasons.

But, as with most rebuilds, the budget has become a factor.

The Knights are reportedly already over the salary cap for 2020 and unable to re-sign Shaun Kenny-Dowall and Hymel Hunt. Shopping Herman Ese'ese to make room, they're in dangerous territory.

This squad isn't one that will become a premiership contender in its current form. They're short too many pieces to be painted into a corner and restricted by poor salary cap management.

While we can only speculate over a players salary and the cap position of a club, what the Knights need to make the leap into a regular Top 8 side is clear.

A Five-Eighth - Kurt Mann is the choice at the moment, but he's not it long-term. At least, he shouldn't be. An exciting ball-runner and capable in open space, Mann doesn't have the timing or decision-making to control one side of the field. More suited to the outside backs or hooker - where he intended to play when signed - Mann's ceiling in the halves isn't high enough for the Knights to rise much further as a club.

Metre-Eaters - Klemmer has been a breath of fresh air for the club. However, the Knights still look set to finish the season averaging the fewest running metres per game. Their 1,510 metres per game is a marked improvement on 2018, but ranks 16th in the competition in 2019. Klemmer can only do so much on his own. While he doesn't need a partner to match his 176 metres per game, Klemmer needs more help than he's currently getting.

Backrow Variation - Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Sione Mata'utia, Aidan Guerra and Mitchell Barnett are all quality footballers deserving of their place in first-grade. They all play a similar style, though. The Knights have a very plug-and-play edge backrow with the four capable of rotating in an out with little negative impact. While that sounds great, it leaves Newcastle fairly one-dimensional on the edge. They're all line-runners; those that wait to be put through a gap rather than send somebody else through another.

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The same goes for Ese'ese and Tim Glasby in the middle of the field. Neither are reliable ball-players and it puts a handbrake on how the Knights shift the ball. As we saw in their game against the Bulldogs, Pearce can't be the only one initiating the attack.

It's not something their premiership relies on, nor is it an area they're likely to improve on anytime soon. But if the opportunity arises and a ball-playing back-rower becomes available, the potential of the Knights attack could sky-rocket.

Setting The Completion Date

It's become clear over the last month that the Knights aren't walking into the Top 8 just yet. Plenty got their hopes up throughout the six-game winning streak, but humbling losses to the Bulldogs and Roosters have forced even the most optimistic Knights fans to reassess.

They're a fringe Top 8 side, and in their current form, could well be on the wrong side of the fringe by the end of Round 25. Meanwhile, the limitations put on them by salary cap pressure don't allow for a lot of room to improve on the list for 2020 without moving somebody on.

This rebuild is equivalent to a council-run project either side of an election year. It's taken too long already, and despite it looking close to complete now, the red tape will delay it for some time yet.

Predicted 2019 finish: 8th (Lose in Week 1 of the finals)

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