Will the Bennett era start with a bang?

Are the Knights the new Dragons?

Wayne Bennett arrived from Brisbane three years ago at a St George Illawarra club that had plenty of talent but nothing in the trophy cabinet as a merged club. By instilling a terrific work ethic in his players and building the Dragons into the toughest defensive team in the NRL, Bennett led his team to the minor premiership in 2009 and the minor-major double in 2010.

Will history repeat for the supercoach at Newcastle? There's certainly plenty of talent there - both from last season's line-up and a string of big-name recruits. Darius Boyd has followed his mentor once again and will bump Kurt Gidley out of the fullback spot, while former Knights (and internationals) Danny Buderus, Kade Snowden and Timana Tahu all return to the club. Bennett has also taken Adam Cuthbertson and Alex McKinnon with him from the Dragons.

But the Knights of 2012 are still a very different side from the Dragons of the past three years. For one thing, it's hard to see Newcastle's forwards matching the consistency of a St George Illawarra pack that now features several NSW Origin stars. For another, Newcastle are naturally a much more flamboyant attacking side - they led the NRL for tackle busts last season, and were the only team to pass the 40-point mark four times in 2011.

Defence and consistency have been their problems, two tasks seemingly ready-made for Bennett. But if he is to turn the Knights into genuine contenders, it will have to be following a different formula than he did at the Dragons.

Are Bennett and Tinkler a match made in heaven?

Bennett would not be Newcastle's coach if it wasn't for billionaire Knights fan Nathan Tinkler, who bought the club last year. The passionate mining magnate has undoubtedly been good to the Knights so far, but can also be a volatile character - he's already sacked an A-League coach and plenty of horse trainers in his time. Tinkler - not Bennett - was the man behind the signing of Snowden, as part of the owner's aim to bring high-profile Newcastle juniors back to the club.

A hands-on owner isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the situation could turn ugly if things don't go the Knights' way early in the season. Expectation is high at the club now, particularly from the man who has shelled out so much of his own cash in an effort to bring success.

For all the hype about Newcastle's bold new era, a tough early draw could bring the Novocastrians crashing back to reality sooner rather than later. Bennett will have the pleasure of facing former club the Dragons twice in the opening seven rounds, with the Knights also facing the Broncos, Des Hasler's Bulldogs, and last year's minor premiers Melbourne in the opening rounds.

A slow start could see tensions simmering between the owner and mentor - although if any coach is to get the benefit of the doubt from Tinkler, it's seven-time premiership-winner Bennett.

Can Jarrod Mullen win back the fans?

A talented playmaker who has already been capped at Origin level, Jarrod Mullen has nevertheless lost the support of a lot of Knights fans after failing to live up to expectations. Following in the footsteps of the game's greatest ever halfback was never going to be easy, but an inconsistent kicking game and a penchant for missing tackles didn't help his cause in 2011. Now, in a team with a legendary coach and star players in other key positions, Mullen could be seen as the weak link.

On the bright side, Bennett weaved his magic with a talented but tackle-shy playmaker before. Jamie Soward went from human speedbump to NSW Origin star under Bennett's watch, developing arguably the NRL's best kicking game in the process. Like Soward, Mullen has plenty of pace and is a strong kicker - he tied with Chris Sandow for the most 40/20 kicks in the league last year. Mullen was never going to be the next Andrew Johns but if Bennett can make him the next Jamie Soward, the Knights could well be the complete package.

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of BigPond Sport.