Newcastle coach Rick Stone said he'll consider a reshuffle to his side for next week's NRL clash against Penrith, with Isaac De Gois close to moving back into the starting side at hooker.

De Gois underwent a knee reconstruction in the off-season and has been eased back into first grade off the interchange bench.

However, it was clear the Knights missed his direction and creativity throughout the 80 minutes in their 36-12 capitulation to Manly on Saturday night.

The former Shark is one of the game's premier hookers and the Knights desperately need him to return to his dynamic best and be out there from the opening whistle.

Stone said he will contemplate giving the No.9 jersey back to him as early as this Monday night.

"He'd be close, I'm not quite sure if it'll be next week but it won't be too far away," Stone told AAP.

"He gives us a bit more variety... not that we saw a lot from Isaac (against Manly) because he did a lot of tackling.

"Now that it's his second game back, he played probably 60 minutes (on Saturday night) so he'd be getting close to that start there's no doubt, and hopefully injecting a little bit out of dummy half from the opening whistle."

Most NRL players take time to re-discover top form after serious knee injuries, but while Stone concedes De Gois has a difficult task ahead of him to be as effective as he was last season, he's confident his dummy half won't be hampered this year.

"Structurally the knee's fine, it's just about him getting some match fitness and timing and confidence, and hopefully being successful as well will help," Stone said.

"I think he is (one of the game's best hookers), for sure.

"Anyone who has come back from a knee reconstruction is coming back from a fairly serious injury.

"I think he's done a terrific job to get where he has and hopefully he's ready.

"It's hard to expect him to come back and pick up where he left off last year, but I think there have been some good signs there. I've got some confidence in him moving forward that he'll get there soon.

"He's a great little competitor and as soon as we get him back playing 80 minutes and playing like we know he can, it'll be better for us."

Stone is hoping that De Gois' imminent return to hooker will take pressure off fill-in Matt Hilder.

Workhorse Hilder looked tired against the Sea Eagles after tackling himself to a standstill in the opening two weeks of the competition, and a move into the backrow could freshen him up.

"Hopefully a longer turnaround will help us this week. I don't know if after two weeks you get tired, but it does take its toll," Stone said.

"There's no doubt about it and we need to look after him a little bit as well. Early in the week we'll have a light week and Matty will recharge a bit and will look fresher next week."

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