CREDIBILITY is one of the most important and desirable qualities that players and clubs seek to establish.
It takes a long time to build but a painfully short time to lose.
Unfortunately for the Knights last Sunday, they not only missed out on two crucial competition points, but also suffered a huge dent to their reputation.
It wasn't necessarily the magnitude of the score, but the lack of application on which it was established.
Every team have days where they miss too many tackles, but to not be prepared to put your body on the line with the necessary intent in doing so is a different story.
Coach Rick Stone referred to it as a "weak underbelly" and that is a damning description concerning a football team.
The fallout is that such performances stay in the memory, especially in those of opposition players. The last thing that a club wants is for that to generate a feeling that it would be an unattractive place to go and play.
I'm speaking with some experience here because that was the situation confronting Parramatta in the early 1990s.
After a period of poor showings the club was looked upon in a particularly bad light by other players in the competition, which made it difficult to rectify.
Our only worthwhile, profile signing for a number of years was Bob Lindner, and even his stint proved to be short term.
Ironically, the club actually benefited from the Super League debacle by being able to pick up the quality quartet of Jason Smith, Dean Pay, Jim Dymock and Jarrod McCracken. That was extremely fortuitous for the Eels and saved a longer stretch of bad times.
In no way am I saying that Newcastle are in immediate danger of having created such a millstone. After all, the loss to the Raiders was preceded by three straight wins.
What I am saying is that their next game against the Cowboys has taken on extra importance and there will be a microscope on the heart and soul they display in going about their work.
The nightmare of last week can be somewhat diminished by wholehearted showings in taking on the difficult road they face to the end of the season.
What has made the journey tougher is that they now must win at least five and more than likely six of their remaining seven games.
Not impossible but a daunting prospect when you consider they will need to win most of the clashes against the likes of Manly, Canterbury, Brisbane, St George Illawarra, Melbourne and the Warriors.
The battering of their differential is also a concern. It has plummeted to minus 84, the third worst in the competition. Obviously that would improve with a string of victories.
The defeat in the national capital was an awful blow to their prospects in every possible way.
If the Knights were somehow able to qualify for the finals it would rank alongside the club's greatest achievements. If they don't, they can't afford it to be due to the kind of effort they put forward last weekend.
Even in defeat there can be honour, but there was a distinct lack of that in Canberra.
Premiership credibility is also put to the test this weekend, beginning tomorrow night at ANZ when the Eels take on the Bulldogs.
I wrote about Jarryd Hayne last week and he didn't disappoint in leading the team's remarkable comeback against Penrith.
It might sound strange after they conceded 28 points, but I felt the strong part of their game was defence. Not one of the Panthers' tries came from catching Parramatta out in general play.
Outside the four kick tries and the Michael Jennings intercept they looked completely comfortable.
Canterbury also looked good despite going down late to the Roosters and would have beaten a host of other teams with that performance. While disappointed to be beaten after getting into a winning position, it was further proof that they are actually playing better football than a number of teams much higher up the ladder.
Tomorrow is their last throw of the dice, but I think the damage has been done with time all but run out.
Penrith have lost some lustre over the past fortnight having dropped successive games for the first time since round three. It shapes as a tough mental test as to how they react to being beaten after leading 22-0.
Coach Matt Elliott said the devastating loss needed to be their most important game of the season as in how they deal with the disappointment. The return of the inspirational Luke Lewis is a huge boost as is the long-term signing of Jennings.
They take on a Melbourne team who have gone from being strictly disciplined to altogether unpredictable. Some of their last-tackle plays against the Warriors last week were breathtakingly out of character.
The Storm now range between highly dangerous to suicidal.
The Gold Coast are in obvious trouble and are in danger of tumbling further down the ladder after their appointment with the competition leaders.
The Titans have not only lost six of their past eight but Greg Bird for an extended period and are struggling at the worst possible time.
There is no tougher test than taking on the Dragons on their home turf but a victory for the Queenslanders would be invaluable when you consider that they would be assured of making a move on the losers of the Rabbitohs-Warriors, Sea Eagles-Tigers and Broncos-Roosters clashes.
Seems to me to be another rivalry round where winning will build confidence which in turn shapes credibility.
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