Memories of South Sydney's close call on privatisation five years ago have prompted Tinkler Sports Group to issue an impassioned plea for Newcastle members to ensure they have a say on the future of their NRL club on Thursday night.

The long-running bid by mining magnate Nathan Tinkler to take over the Knights will finally come to an end at Newcastle Entertainment Centre when the club's members attend an extraordinary general meeting to vote on whether to accept his $100 million proposal.

The emotion-charged saga has divided much of the local community, and despite a growing current of support for the proposal, TSG officials are under no illusions as to the enormity of the task of securing 75 per cent of the members' vote.

"We're not confident - but we're certainly getting a lot of positive feedback," TSG chief executive Ken Edwards told AAP.

"Our biggest concern is that a few members we talked to (at Monday's information session) thought it was such a good deal there's no way that it's not going to get up, they don't think they need to vote.

"Our key message is that any members who believe in what we're trying to do, we're asking them to get along and vote in favour because that could be the difference between getting this up and not because 75 per cent is a big ask.

"It's worth remembering the South Sydney vote for privatisation only got up by 32 votes - which effectively is only 16 votes because if 16 votes went the other way they wouldn't have got enough."

Hollywood star Russell Crowe and businessman Peter Holmes a Court took ownership of the Rabbitohs in March 2006 when 3942 voted in favour of their bid and 954 against - the duo's bid successful by just 0.8 per cent.

Knights member Jim Thornton - who is also secretary of the Newcastle Knights Supporters Club - had been one of bid's most ardent and vocal critics, but told local media last week he felt appeased after a meeting with TSG.

Thornton - who failed to divulge how he would vote - had previously taken out a series of full-page advertisements in the Newcastle Herald advising Knights members to consider the Patron's Trust and status quo as an alternative to the takeover.

Since then however, evidence of opposition to the TSG proposal has been light on.

As was the case with the Bunnies, TSG only need 75 per cent of the vote and not 75 per cent of all members' approval to win its bid.

The TSG will continue its advertising bombardment right up until the vote, while former Newcastle player and coach Michael Hagan - one of a host of Knights old boys recruited to help get the bid over the line - will also be campaigning up until the last minute.

"There's no doubt that there's certainly a small group of members that are not sure of its appeal ... but I think the Tinkler Sports Group has made it clear they're still a non-for-profit organisation, it's still a community-based football club," Hagan said.

"The alternatives aren't great and the financial pressure the club's been under has been spelt out pretty clearly.

"The club will survive but it's a matter of how you want it to survive and what the future holds and this would give it a pretty good footing financially."

Edwards said he wasn't sure just how many of the approximately 3000 members eligible to vote would turn up on Thursday night, with many having already lodged their vote by proxy on Monday night when Tinkler addressed an information session.

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