The NRL may still be a month away from crowning a 2008 champion, but Newcastle coach Brian Smith has wasted little time in setting his sight's on next year's top four.

With the bumps and bruises of last weekend's final round loss to Brisbane still fresh in mind and body, Smith turned his focus to 2009 where he hopes to emulate Cronulla's dramatic rise up the NRL ladder.

Like the Sharks in 2007, the Knights this year had a number of games decided by just a handful of points, the near misses coming back to bite them as they missed out on a finals berth by just one win.

Cronulla turned their close losses of last year into tight wins this season as they climbed from an 11th-placed finish in 2007 to a top three result in 2008.

"It's not beyond the realms of possibility that we can be right up there knocking on the door," Smith said of the Knights' 2009 prospects.

"I would liken us to what Cronulla have done.

"The way that they've improved on last season when they had similar to us a high number of games decided by one converted try or less ... this year they've won them and there they are sitting in the top four.

"It can be done.

"We lost five of those (close) games that in the end, they were the gut busters."

While a ninth-placed finish this year was nothing to write home about, it is an impressive performance when put up against last year's second-last effort.

And the rise up the ladder has Smith buoyed that the greater prizes could be in store for his settled squad.

"In winning three more games this season to last season, if we could manage to do that again next year, that would clearly put us in the top eighth, the top four perhaps," Smith said.

"That's got to be a goal for us now I think.

"The encouraging bit for me is that we've now got a stable crew ... we've got the opportunity to develop some teamwork and harmony and hopefully go to another level."

The move of skipper Danny Buderus to the English Super League and the departure of Chris Bailey to Manly are the only major losses within the Knights squad for next season, but they are to be compensated by the arrival of Cronulla rake Issac De Gois and St George Illawarra utility Ben Rogers.

It's in stark contrast to the 2007 shake-up which threatened to see Smith run out of town less than a season into his three-year deal.

Asked if he felt vindicated following the grilling he copped for last year's clean-out, Smith was philosophical.

"I think we did okay - it's not a season that everyone's going to do handstands about but I think in terms of trying to rebuild our place, we got very close to where we wanted to be.

"I think we all know now it's not beyond our reach."

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