Pearce backs NRL relocation rationale

Former Knights captain Mitchell Pearce says the short-term sacrifices players will make during the next month are outweighed by the importance of keeping the competition going.

Pearce and his Knights teammates were told on Sunday night they'll be relocating to Queensland for at least a month with the COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney threatening the competition.

The city of Newcastle hasn't recorded a single case of COVID-19 in the latest wave in NSW but along with the ACT-based Raiders, both sides will join 10 other NRL clubs shifting north until at least round 22.

"From the players' point of view we were all aware that it [relocating] was always a possibility," Pearce said on Monday.

"There are positives if you look at all situations and there's obviously negatives.

"We'd like to think we're going to be the team that takes the positive approach.

"I know a lot of the boys are talking like that this morning when coming through the doors that we're being paid good money and we've got a job to do.

"There's a lot of gratitude for the fact we get paid to do what we love, which if you ask any player in the NRL we live a privileged life in that regard."

The Knights are among eight teams in a log-jam of clubs either just in or just out of the top eight. The next month of the season crucial to their finals chances.

They'll be in the unusual position of flying to their new base in Queensland on Wednesday before a fly-in, fly-out game against competition leaders Melbourne in the Victorian capital on Saturday night.

"As a club, we know how important the finish to the year is so we're happy to play wherever," Pearce said.

"Whichever team adapts with the best mindset is the team that's going to benefit most out of this last period going into the finals.

"It's game on for not only us but a lot of teams around the cluster there."

Newcastle hasn't beaten Melbourne in nine outings since 2015 and face a tough task against the defending premiers, who are scheduled to return to AAMI Park for the first time since round eight.

"Every team is beatable in one way or another but there's no doubt Melbourne is the benchmark at the moment and not many teams have been able to beat them this year," Pearce said.

"We've gone through ups and downs this year but we're now in a position that gives us every opportunity to attack the comp the way we wanted to at the start of the year.

"Defensively we've been really good for two weeks and it's something we need to take that confidence into Melbourne."