MacDougall, who at 35 is the NRL's oldest player, is off contract at the end of the season and facing an uncertain future.

The former Test star and two-time premiership winner has boldly declared he intends to play next season, but Knights officials remain non-committal about the prospect of re-signing him.

Asked yesterday whether he was approaching tomorrow night's game as a possible farewell to EnergyAustralia Stadium, MacDougall replied, "No, definitely not . . . definitely not. I've had some positive discussions with my manager and with the club. The one thing I'll give the club is we've had good, open and honest dialogue from day one.

"Admittedly it's probably taken longer than I'd have liked."

MacDougall said he had attracted interest from rival clubs in Sydney but would prefer to see out his days with Newcastle, for whom he has played 147 games.

"It's definitely not my last season of football," he said.

"I'll be playing next year - that decision has been made - and hopefully it well be here.

"I wouldn't want to leave.

"That was the reason I came back here, to finish my career.

"Circumstances I suppose have allowed me to keep playing perhaps longer than I thought, but I've had a lot of good advice from people like Phil Gould, Andrew Johns and even my father, and they've all encouraged me to keep playing.

"I'm definitely going to keep playing."MacDougall is no stranger to such uncertainty. Two years ago it appeared he would be parting company with Newcastle, but after months of negotiations, he emerged with a two-season contract.

Knights coach Rick Stone said this week he would defer any further talks with MacDougall until Newcastle's season was finished.

Stone has also spoken to former Newcastle centre Matt Gidley, who has been playing for four years with English club St Helens, about the possibility of a final fling with the Knights next season.