Restricted to just 16 games in his first two years at Newcastle after a series of injuries, Cross accepts he needs an extended run without mishap to obtain maximum bargaining power.

So for the first two months of the season, his goal is just to get through every game unscathed then sit down to weigh up his options.

"I'm going to give myself about eight or 10 weeks," the 31-year-old said yesterday.

"I know I'm in a pretty good position still. I feel very fit and think I've got plenty to offer.

"Obviously I've missed a bit of footy the last couple of years, so the body hasn't taken too much of a toll, and the injuries I've had haven't been debilitating ones that have slowed me up or affected the way I play.

"So I want to give myself a couple of months of good footy to show everyone I've still got it and put myself out there.

"There's no point going in there any earlier and selling myself short."

A grand final winner with Melbourne in 2007 who played two Origins for NSW in 2008, Cross was sidelined for most of last year after tearing his biceps in round seven.

He made an impressive comeback in last week's 20-16 win against the big-name Bulldogs pack, striking up an instant engine-room partnership with new signing Evarn Tuimavave.

Cross was looking forward to locking horns with his former Melbourne teammates, having missed both clashes with the Storm last year.

His last showdown with his old club was the penultimate round in 2008, when he starred with 158 metres and 33 tackles in Newcastle's 17-16 win.

Asked whether that game was his best for the Knights, Cross said: "I've had a couple of good games, but out of the 16, that's probably been the pick of them."

A player in whom Storm and NSW coach Craig Bellamy has shown great faith, Cross said he had no plans to impress his former mentor tomorrow in the hope of enhancing his representative aspirations.

"After missing nearly a whole season through injury, you can't take anything for granted," he said.

"This year I'm fully focused on one game at a time. One little slip-up or accident and I could be sitting on the sidelines again. It [rep footy] was on my list of goals this year, but I'm not thinking any further ahead than Melbourne Storm."

Cross said the Knights had not spent much time analysing Melbourne's superstar line-up and were focusing on their own game plan.