NRL: Daniel Saifiti sidelined with suspected medial-ligament injury as Newcastle Knights strive to make finals

Having collected a hard-earned two competition points and a spot inside the NRL top eight, Newcastle prop Daniel Saifiti finished the game sidelined because of a suspected medial-ligament injury.

The NSW representative twice ended up on the ground and clutching his left knee in quick succession before being helped off the field by trainers with 11 minutes remaining on the clock.

Although edging out the Sharks 16-14 at Redcliffe on Sunday, Knights coach Adam O'Brien now faces the prospect of playing the last three rounds without Saifiti in his forward pack as they strive to seal a finals spot for the second straight season.

"Potential medial, I think he's had the same one previously," O'Brien said in the post-match press conference.

"The positive was he got back in the line. The negative was he didn't stay in the line for too long. But he's in there [dressing sheds] getting assessed now so we'll see where we're at."

Saifiti faces scans this week to determine the extent of the damage before Newcastle's run home.

Fixtures are now confirmed with Newcastle meeting the Bulldogs on the Gold Coast this Saturday, the Titans on the Sunshine Coast next Thursday and the Broncos in Brisbane on September 4.

When asked if Saifiti could miss the next couple of weeks O'Brien simply replied "yeah".

O'Brien was full of praise for the efforts from Saifiti, twin brother Jacob, fellow front-rower David Klemmer and the rest of the forward cohort, not only against Cronulla but across 2021.

"Him, his brother, Klem - all of our forwards have been very good this year, very good, and I thought they were exceptional today," O'Brien said.

"We played against a team that moves your middle a lot. They attack your edges but that's moving your middles and you need to tie in well and I thought they did a really good job.

"That Sharks team attacks a lot and to keep them to one try and one kick try, I think our middles can really hold their heads up."

Mitch Barnett, slotting back into the second-row after Lachlan Fitzgibbon underwent season-ending shoulder surgery on Friday, played a pivotal role for the Knights with several key plays in the second half.

Connor Watson was able to celebrate his 100^th NRL game with victory after Jake Clifford slotted a penalty goal to split the deadlock in the 73^rd minute.

Knights officials released a statement on Saturday saying off-contract Fitzgibbon had the operation to repair cartilage damage sustained against the Broncos in Brisbane on August 5.

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