Newcastle are 4-0 to start the year and coach Rick Stone believes plenty of that can be attributed to the resurrection of former New South Wales prop Kade Snowden.

Snowden was a legitimate chance of missing Saturday’s win over Penrith due to injury but was dominant once getting the green light.

“He was terrific, he took a decent cork into the game and he was a bit of a 50-50 proposition yesterday,” Stone told ABC Grandstand.

“But he improved a little bit from yesterday and came out and played a real premier front-rower’s knock for us. He’s going great, he’s leading from the front like we’ve asked him to.”