BEST mates Jarrod Mullen and Scott Dureau will celebrate milestones - Mullen's 100th game for Newcastle and Dureau's last - by teaming up in the halves one final time for the Knights against Melbourne at AAMI Park on Sunday.
And in the absence of injured regular skipper Kurt Gidley, Mullen has been handed the additional honour of captaining the Knights for just the second time in his career.
The 23-year-old general hopes that occasion will be memorable for better reasons than his only previous game in charge - a club-record 71-6 loss to the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium on May 27, 2007, just four days after he made his State of Origin debut for NSW.
"I didn't want to say it but yeah, that was it - the record loss - so hopefully we can get a win this time," Mullen laughed.
"It's been a while since I captained the Knights - a long time between drinks, I suppose - but it's always a great honour to captain a side like Newcastle. I love the place, I love the town, and I'll take the opportunity with both hands, that's for sure."
Coach Rick Stone spoke to Mullen, who made his NRL debut against the Tigers on May 15, 2005, about the captaincy after training yesterday, declaring the in-form playmaker as the "appropriate choice" to lead the Knights against the Storm.
Naturally, Mullen would have liked to have had Gidley on the field with him against Melbourne on Sunday, but is pleased to have Dureau, his long-time mate, alongside him in the halves.
Dureau and Mullen were childhood friends in Taree and Port Macquarie, attended Year 11 and 12 together at St Francis Xavier's College at Hamilton, and have been clubmates at the Knights since Dureau joined in 2003 - a year after Mullen.
"All the boys are pretty pumped about it, going down there for the last game," Mullen said.
"It only really sunk in last week that I'm probably not going to play with Scotty ever again, but this opportunity has come up and it's going to be good to share with him his last game for Newcastle before he heads off to France.
"That will be something special because we're great mates, and it would be even better to get another win together."
Dureau, who has signed a two-year deal to join France-based English Super League club Catalans Dragons, played his 41st NRL game for the Knights against the Warriors three weeks ago, and was resigned to that being his last in Newcastle colours.
"I'd love Kurt to be out there with me - he's one of my best mates - but I'm happy to get one last chance and play another game, and hopefully we can do the job," Dureau said.
"It's definitely going to be sad to leave. I've only got a couple of training sessions left here with the Knights, and the last game come Sunday, so it's all starting to dawn on me that this is the end here at Newcastle, and it's a pretty emotional time.
"A lot of my best mates are in this team - not just my mates from footy but they're my mates for life - so it's definitely going to be pretty emotional getting to play my last one with them.
"I'll probably shed a tear or two after the game."
Stone said utility Wes Naiqama would start at fullback for Shannon McDonnell, who is still struggling with a strained hamstring, while prop Ben Cross (broken hand) would be given until Friday to prove his fitness.
"Shannon's going to be racing the clock," Stone said.
"We'll check him later in the week but at this stage I'd have to say he's unlikely"
? Seven players from Newcastle Rugby League teams and two from Group 21 club Scone will represent NSW Country against the Cook Islands at Scully Park, Tamworth on October 16.
Grant Wooden will captain the side and will be joined by Scone teammate Daniel Ritter, Wyong's Mitch Williams, Chad Sharp, Josh Mantellato and Bodie O'Connell, Western Suburbs pair Sam Wooden and David Pangai, and Mat Cooper from Northern Blues.
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