Barely two years on from it, Brodie Jones will start in the backrow for the Knights against the Brisbane Broncos on Saturday and is on the verge of playing in his first NRL finals series. But it could have been so different.

In 2019, with his career seemingly going nowhere fast, Jones couldn't even make the Knights' NSW Cup side and was sent back, along with Brayden Musgrove, to play for his junior club Cessnock in the local competition.

Jones started the game off the bench and was injured in a narrow Goannas' win over Macquarie. If it was a strategic move by his Knights coach Rory Kostjasyn to try and light a fire underneath a troubled Jones, it got the desired result.

"I was only talking to Brayden about it [that game] the other day - just reminiscing a little bit on it," Jones said. "I'm lost for words on how fast it's happened and how quick it's changed. It's nice to be here where I want to be. At that point in time, it wasn't looking very good."

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Jones admits the experience back with the Goannas showed him what he'd be missing if he threw in the towel with the Knights. But the first thing he needed to do was find his love for footy again. Looking back, he believes the stress of taking footy so seriously left him struggling to find enjoyment.

"You have to be serious about it but I was over the top and that sort of took the enjoyment out of the game and made it real hard," he said.

"It was about finding the love for it again and I lost it there a little bit for a few years. But now, I'm loving every minute of it and I've found that nice balance. The serious side of it is obviously there but it's not at the forefront of my mind, sapping all the love out of it for me."

Jones credits Kostjasyn, now an assistant NRL coach, for helping him through it.

"Rory helped me heaps," he said. "He experienced that rough patch I went through and he stuck by me and helped me grind it out. I have to thank him for getting me back on the tracks."

Knights coach Adam O'Brien said he wasn't aware of Jones' back-story.

"Sounds like it might have been the best thing Rory could have done for him at the time," O'Brien said.

"I know Rory has a big hand in what he does now but sometimes a kick in the pants can lift a player out of it and that sounds like it's happened with him.

"In saying that, I still think there is more left in Brodie. Just from a confidence point of view. I think the Cronulla game at the start of the season gave him a real shot in the arm and a belief that he belongs at this level.

"But there's more there, He's a quiet guy but I'll tell you what he is, he is footy-smart. He's very intelligent on the field, particularly recognising threats defensively and how to shut them down.

"He's just a really good kid who typifies what we want in a Knights player. But I want him hungry to get even better because I know it's there."