Fortress building slowly

VETERAN Chris Heighington has cautioned it will take time for the new-look Newcastle to hit top form but he expects good signs from the start.

After three-straight wooden spoons, the Knights have preseason buzz by recruiting Mitchell Pearce, Kalyn Ponga, Connor Watson, Aidan Guerra and Heighington.

Heighington, 36, arrived from Cronulla, giving the Knights 317 games of NRL experience. The two-time premiership winner said there was a sense of the unknown about how the team would go in Friday night’s Round 1 clash with Manly.

“It’s about putting it out on the field where your heart rate’s at maximum and knowing how each other plays,” he said.