“Even though say Smith and Tedesco are better players than Pearce, Pearce’s value for Newcastle is arguably higher,” a Sportsbet.com.au spokesperson said. “If Smith or Tedesco are missing, their replacements will still be a quality player, whereas if Pearce is missing for Newcastle, his replacement will be a far inferior player.” Mitchell Pearce has edged out Cameron Smith as the most influential player in the NRL. Credit:NRL Photos Pearce has experienced another roller-coaster season. The former Roosters halfback was instrumental in Newcastle snapping a six-game losing streak, earning a raft of Dally M points as they went on a six-match winning run that ultimately led to his call up for the State of Origin decider. Having finally been a member of a NSW series victory, his form dipped as the Knights went on another six-match losing run that was snapped emphatically when they hammered North Queensland last weekend. That result wasn’t enough to secure Nathan Brown’s future, the coach opting to step down at the end of the season despite the Knights still being in finals contention.

An emotional Nathan Brown announces he is stepping down as Newcastle coach at the end of the season. Credit:Marina Neil Pearce’s mentor, "halfback whisperer" Allan Bell, said the "influencer" list compiled by Sportsbet.com.au would be similar to his own if he had gone through the same exercise. “They are pretty much on the money,” Bell said. “I would have gone pretty close [to reproducing] that list. I might not have got the points right, but the order would have been close. “[Pearce] means so much to the Knights. The Newcastle spine is where the attack is coming from. “Like any half, you’re a byproduct of what happens in the forward battle. [Pearce] and [Ponga] operate well. If you’re coming out of your territory all the time – and that’s happened a couple of times for the Knights this year – it can be very hard [to dominate].”

Loading Newcastle is one of three teams in the enviable position of having two players, Pearce and Ponga, rated among the top-10 most influential. The Knights are a 10-point better team when they are both available, making them the most potent club combination in the NRL. Sharks players, with this weekend’s opponents top of mind, were wary of the threat posed by Warriors fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. “[Tuivasa-Sheck] is certainly one of the most influential players in the NRL,” Wade Graham said. “There are a couple that spring to mind: Tedesco, obviously; Tommy T is a pretty big influence; Cameron Smith at Melbourne. These are players that without them in their team, they look like a completely different team. Roger is such a good player. Any team with him in it is dangerous. We have to be on our game to look after him.”

Sharks teammate Chad Townsend agreed "RTS" was one of the biggest attacking threats in the competition. “He is their main threat in attack,” Townsend said. “That's no disrespect to their other players – they have quality across the park – but Roger over maybe the last two seasons has been one of the top three players in the competition. “We saw that in the way he won the Dally M last year. The way he attacks your middle at speed when our big boys are tired is dangerous and if we stop him, it will definitely help us win the game.” Market movers How many points the top players are worth to their team

Mitchell Pearce – 6.0 Cameron Smith – 5.5 Tom Trbojevic – 4.5 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck – 4.5 Daly Cherry-Evans – 4.0

James Tedesco – 4.0 Kalyn Ponga – 4.0 Cameron Munster – 3.5 Jason Taumalolo – 3.5 Mitchell Moses – 3.5