NRL: Mullen returns to Knights

Jarrod Mullen. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Forget round two: Jarrod Mullen's return is going to make Newcastle a whole different prospect to stop.

Canberra might have toppled the Knights in Newcastle less than a month ago, but coach Ricky Stuart knows it's going to be a whole lot tougher at Canberra Stadium come tonight.

The Knights have confirmed key playmaker Mullen will play in the clash after recovering from a hamstring injury he sustained in the Auckland Nines pre-season tournament.

As such, there's not much Canberra can take from their previous encounter, says Stuart.

"They'll be a different team again with Jarrod Mullen playing and [Darius] Boyd out the back," Stuart said.

It won't just change the way Newcastle attack, Stuart said, but lift the mentality of the second-last placed side.

"They'll have a lot of confidence knowing Jarrod is back," he said.

"He will make the players around him better.

"But we've prepared for that all week."

Both sides enter the match on the back of losses, the Raiders 12-6 to Penrith, while the Knights were thumped 28-2 by North Queensland.

And while "desperate" has been Knights coach Wayne Bennett's word of the week, Stuart, whose side is two and three, is refusing to buy into a similar mentality.

"No. You tell me why I should be desperate?" Stuart said. "We've got a real positive vibe around the joint."

- AAP