The nib Newcastle Knights are low on troops but could welcome back one of their game changers for Saturday's Round 25 clash against St George Illawarra.
Kalyn Ponga has been managing an ankle issue which saw him miss last week's los to Cronulla but Physical Performance Manager, Tony Ayoub, said Ponga is a good chance of playing this weekend.
"He's going well," Ayoub said.
"Last week was more a precaution. He's been battling away for the last three or four weeks ... he wanted to play (last week). That was our call.
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"We thought, where he's at, the season he's had and how important to us he is in the future, we thought we'd give him a break.
"With Connor going down this week, there's a bit of pressure to get him back.
"We could play him if we needed to. It's the discussion we'll have today with Browny."
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The news isn't so good for Connor Watson.
The playmaker has been battling with a groin injury which he re-injured against the Sharks.
"It was a gamble," he said.
"We knew it was a gamble ... it didn't pay out. He was going well but couldn't get through the loads of the game.
"We think he needs something done."
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Finally, Lachlan Fitzgibbon suffered a concussion on the weekend as a result of a head clash.
The backrower is in doubt to take the field this weekend despite his want to play.
"He wants to play," Ayoub said.
"You've got to give the boys a lot of credit with how tough they are.
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"Given where he was at on the field and how long it took him to respond, a little bit of memory loss, (our doctor) Jen is taking all the precautions.
"We'll err on the side of caution this week.
"We'll see what he's like later in the week and make a decision then."
Injured players and expected return dates:
Tautau Moga (ACL, Season)
Slade Griffin (Knee, Season)
Jacob Saifiti (Shoulder, Season)
Nathan Ross (Groin, Indefinite)
Connor Watson (Groin, Indefinite)
Lachlan Fitzgibbon (Concussion, Monitored)
Kalyn Ponga (Ankle, Monitored)
