"They have to finish it off and finish in the finals.

"If all you players can find a little extra for Danny on the weekend and the following weekend, I'm sure he and the rest of the fans will appreciate it.

"But I'm sure the best is still in front of you. You can play in the finals and make an impact.

"You are a terrific football team."

Not surprisingly, Gould received a rousing ovation from yesterday's pro-Knights audience.

But Buderus warned his teammates that it would be "dangerous" to rely on emotion surrounding his exit to provide them with a source of motivation.

Also adding to the emotion-charged atmosphere at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Saturday night is the fact that it is Newcastle's annual Old Boys game.

"Emotion can get you tired, I think," Buderus said.

"It's good to start the game on emotion, but then you've got to look within.

"And if you can't find what you need within, then you're running on empty and it's a hard game for the next 60 minutes.

"It's important to find an even keel, and teams that do that and play with real precise emotions are the really good teams."

Newcastle enter the penultimate round of the season on 26 points, level with Parramatta and the Warriors, and two points adrift of Canberra and St George Illawarra.

Penrith, on 25 points, and Wests Tigers and the Gold Coast, both on 24, are also still in the finals race but would need a minor miracle.

Newcastle's superior differential (plus 51) gives them an edge over the Eels (plus two) and the Warriors (minus 109).

But Parramatta host the Warriors in the final round meaning that at least one of those teams are guaranteed to improve their position on the ladder.

This weekend Parramatta play the Dragons and the Warriors are at home to Penrith.

The Knights need some of those results to fall in their favour unless they can fulfil Gould's prophecy and beat both Melbourne and Brisbane, which would almost certainly lift them into the finals on their own steam.