Newcastle co-captain Jamie Buhrer says the Knights are working hard to get back in the winner’s circle

NEWCASTLE might have dropped three matches in a row but co-captain Jamie Buhrer says the Knights still fancy their chances of downing the resurgent Sharks.

'It's pretty heartbreaking' AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND — MARCH 05: Jamie Buhrer of the Knights warms up ahead of the round one NRL match between the New Zealand Warriors and the Newcastle Knights at Mt Smart Stadium on March 5, 2017 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)

THREE losses on the trot but the Knights haven’t dropped their heads.

The effort is still there at training and belief remains in the squad that they can get their season back on track.

Newcastle co-captain Jamie Buhrer said seeing that from the squad means they’re a long way from being in a rut.

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“I’d describe it as a rut if I didn’t see the effort there. The will to win and the boys putting in the extras, we’re determined to get ourselves back on track,” he said.

“We’ve lost three in a row. And we have an opportunity back at home. Regardless of what you call it, we want to be winning.”

Newcastle have dropped three games in a row.

Not responding in moments of pressure — be it from their own errors or not putting the game away when it was there to be won — has contributed to Newcastle being on the wrong side of the scoreboard in their past three matches.

The coming month will be a real test of their mettle though, when they face three top eight sides, starting Sunday with the fifth-placed Cronulla, followed by Parramatta (16th), the Roosters (seventh) and then Melbourne (sixth).

Buhrer said Newcastle have come a long way this season from the three wooden spoons they claimed the past three years and they must beat the best to prove that.

Can the Knights turn it around?

“NRL’s hard. There’s no two ways about it,” he said. “Sixteenth position can beat first on their day.

“That’s the NRL and that’s the beauty of it. That’s why fans come out to watch. It’s such an unpredictable spectacle at times.

“If we want to be seriously talking about top eight footy and continuing to improve on what we have the last couple of years, we’re going to have to beat some good teams.”

To do that on Sunday, coach Nathan Brown knows his team can’t afford any lapses like in previous weeks.

The Sharks ooze experience and even on a bad they, they’re a side that can find a way to win.

“They’re very greedy Cronulla, they don’t give much away at all,” Brown said.

Six of Newcastle’s next seven matches are at home.

“Most people know when they play Cronulla, the last five, six years, they can play a certain style and win, they can play very good and win or they can play just OK and somehow find a way to win.

“ ... They have a lot of hard first grade players. [Wade] Graham, Luke Lewis, [Paul] Gallen, [Andrew] Fifita, there’s a lot of games there in those guys and they certainly know what they need to do to help the team win.

“ ... We need to hang around and make it hard for them and then take some chances.”

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