Where the Knights will play next week - and when - if they beat the Warriors

Knights coach Justin Holbrook has revealed Dylan Lucas' ankle injury in round 21 was never fully considered season-ending, and his return was always likely to hinge on how far Newcastle progressed in the NRL finals.

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Dylan Lucas and Justin Holbrook at training on Tuesday. Pictures by Marina Neil

About 25 minutes into Newcastle's loss to the Roosters on July 24, the back-rower was transported from the McDonald Jones Stadium field on a medicab and with a pain-relieving green whistle in hand.

But the statement, which was released before Lucas hit the operating table later that day, also said "a return to play timeline" would "be determined following surgery".

By and large, just about everyone in the NRL thought Lucas was done for the year. But in one of the great recovery stories, the 26-year-old has rocketed back into selection contention.

"It wasn't, no," Holbrook said on Thursday of whether Lucas' injury was considered season-ending after surgery. "It was sort of that 10-week mark.

Lucas leaves the field on July 24. Picture AAP

"So I told him, 'Mate, if we go deep into the finals, we'll get you back'.

"But I also didn't expect him back this week, or in the mix, but again ... credit goes to Dyl. He was the one pushing his rehab as hard as he could to fast-track it.

"I was always confident, but I wasn't paying too much attention to it, I was leaving it to him.

"For him to put himself back in the mix this quick, it's great for everyone."

Whether Lucas makes it back on the field this week remains to be seen.

Lucas training on Tuesday. Picture by Marina Neil

He trained with the team this week and was named in the 22-man match squad in jersey No. 22 - the last spot on the list and among three reserves.

The Knights will have to cut their squad to 20 players by 4pm (AEST) on Saturday, 24 hours before kick-off.

That will come after a final training run session in Auckland. They left for Sydney on Thursday afternoon, and were set to fly to Auckland on Friday.

"We probably won't make a decision on him until Saturday," Holbrook said of Lucas.

If Lucas does make the final game-day side of 19 players, he may go unused on the bench. If he is involved, it is likely to be a limited stint.

Regardless, his inspiring recovery has proved an uplift for the side.

"When I went into last week's game, I said: 'Mate, if we win a couple, we will get you back in'," Holbrook said.

"He just said, 'Just win this week', which was last week, but he's close and I'd love him to get onto the six-man bench."

Lucas at training on Tuesday. Picture by Marina Neil

Newcastle head into the do-or-die final at the near 50,000-capacity Eden Park after a more than week-long turnaround between games, and an additional day than the Warriors.

"I take a lot," Holbrook said. "But again, this week is different.

"Not a lot of people thought we would beat Souths, and similar again this week. You do get confidence, you have to be confident this time of the year, but again, it's a different challenge and a different game and different conditions ... We're confident if we go there and play well, we can get the win."

Part of those different conditions will be playing in front of a sold-out crowd made up of likely more than 45,000 mad Warriors fans.

Warriors players training at Eden Park on Tuesday. Picture Getty Images

After finishing the season second, the Warriors suffered a surprise 26-16 loss to the Dolphins last week, missing the chance to advance straight to a preliminary final.

The Andrew Webster-coached side will not get a second chance on Sunday.

"For them to play at Mt Smart [Stadium] nearly every game, and obviously that's sold-out all year, and then to change venues to nearly double the size and have it sell out so quick, it's great for our game," Holbrook said.

"For us to be part of that day, it's one we're looking forward to."

The Warriors have lost forward Jackson Ford to injury but winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (collarbone) and Leka Halasima (hamstring), who was ruled out in the warm-up last week, are a chance to return.

Holbrook said he was expecting a fired-up opponent regardless of who played.

"They had the luxury of now having to win last week. That's now not the case," Holbrook said.

"Whether those guys get into the 17 or not is irrelevant, to be honest, they're going to be a formidable side whether they make it or not."

Meanwhile, the NRL has made a call on venues and times for week three of the finals series.

If the Knights beat the New Zealand Warriors in Auckland this Sunday, they will take on Penrith Panthers in a preliminary final at Accor Stadium the following Sunday, September 27, at 4pm.

The allocation of the match to Accor Stadium ensures it can attract the largest possible crowd, given the Olympic Park venue has a capacity of nearly 80,000 people.

The Panthers have played their home games at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta this season while their Penrith stadium is being rebuilt.

But with a capacity of about 30,000, CommBank was considered too small to host the preliminary final. Sydney's Allianz Stadium, which has a capacity of about 45,000, has also been overlooked.

Penrith will play their preliminary final at Accor Stadium, top right, rather than their 2026 home ground of CommBank Stadium, or Allianz Stadium.

In the other prelim, the Dolphins will host either the Sydney Roosters or Cronulla Sharks, who face off in a semi-final on Saturday night, at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on Friday, September 25.

The second week of the NRLW finals has also been locked in.

The Gold Coast Titans will host the highest-ranked winner form this weekend's elimination finals on Sunday, September 27, at 1.05pm.

The Sydney Roosters will host the lowest-ranked winner of the elimination finals at Allianz Stadium on Saturday, September 26, at 7.50pm.

The Knights take on the Broncos in Brisbane on Saturday.

Given they finished the regular season sixth, they will be bound for a clash with the Roosters should they get past Brisbane.

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