Newcastle Knights coach Wayne Bennett Knights coach Wayne Bennett and captain Jeremy Smith address the media after their narrow loss to Melbourne. Veteran Craig Gower is battling a neck injury. NEWCASTLE coach Wayne Bennett will be sweating on the recuperative powers of veterans Craig Gower and Jeremy Smith before finalising his squad for the trip to Townsville later in the week for the vital clash against the Cowboys. Both players missed Sunday's loss to Melbourne through injury with Gower battling a nerve problem in his neck and Smith sidelined with rib cartlidge and sternum damage. While Gower was originally named as 18th man, it's understood Bennett was planning to use him off the bench against the Storm had he been fit with Kurt Gidley starting at halfback at the expense of Tyrone Roberts. But late last week, Gower was struggling to pass the ball with any power because of the nerve complaint and virtually ruled himself out of the game. He saw a specialist yesterday and provided the cause of the problem can be identified and treated and he is given the all clear, it's highly likely he will make the trip north. That would leave Roberts, who hasn't missed a game all season, as the likely omission. Smith's availability is even less clear. Bennett indicated on Sunday his backrow enforcer would not be back for the Cowboys game but the player himself was not so sure yesterday. Asked was he a chance of returning, Smith said: "We'll have to wait and see. I want to play. One player who will be there is Smith's backrow partner Beau Scott, who remarkably played the full 80 minutes against the Storm with a torn tendon in his foot which he carried into the game. "It's torn in half which is the best case scenario for this sort of injury, " Scott said yesterday. I'll just have it needled every week now to get on with the job. It's feeling pretty good today so touch wood, I'll be able to start training again pretty soon. Scott didn't try to sugar-coat the Knights position with three games left following the Melbourne loss. "We're in a situation where we must win,"he said. We need to travel to Queensland two weeks in a row and bring the two points home so we can make an appearance at the business end of the year.