Newcastle will put its unbeaten record on the line when it takes on the Bulldogs in Friday night's NRL blockbuster, with prop Craig Smith confident the Knights can continue their mini resurgence.

Newcastle was in scintillating form in racking up wins over Parramatta and Canberra in the opening two rounds, while the Bulldogs also returned to the winners circle in impressive style with a big win over premiers Wests Tigers last Friday night.

Smith said the Knights had finally remembered how to win again after a disastrous 2005 season in which the club captured its first ever wooden spoon, and was not surprised by the bright start to this year's campaign.

"I was more surprised at how badly we were going last year," Smith said.

"It's too good a side to hold down and I guess that was the realisation of the whole thing, that we knew it was going to turn, but when was the big question.

"When it did turn, and on the back of a bit of confidence, we won seven of our last eight games (in 2005) and we've carried that confidence into this year.

"It was almost like we'd forgotten how to win last year."

The Knights will again turn to skipper Andrew Johns to lead the attack following his brilliant display against the Raiders last week. Johns leads the league with seven try assists already this season, with Bulldogs half Brent Sherwin the next best with four.

Over 150 police officers, including riot police, will be deployed in and around EnergyAustralia Stadium in a bid to prevent the crowd violence that marred last Friday night's encounter between the Bulldogs and the Tigers at Telstra Stadium.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP