Newcastle Knights back-rower Brodie Jones reveals struggle of playing NRL three days after exiting COVID isolation

Jones, who played down his efforts, ran out in the Friday game against Cronulla in round four after emerging from a mandatory week's isolation on the Tuesday.

The 23-year-old is the only Knights player to contract COVID in the season so far, having been the only one to avoid it in the preseason.

The young tyro played 52 minutes in his side's 18-0 loss to the Sharks in what was his first game back from not only COVID, but a quad injury sustained on the last day of pre-season training.

"COVID took its toll," Jones told the Newcastle Herald.

"I was hurting. I got rid of it on the Tuesday and played on the Friday. I was in a world of pain, my lungs did not like me at all."

Asked whether he felt right to play, Jones laughed and said he "just had to do it".

"I wasn't going to say no. That's just part of it with COVID now, you've just got to live with it," he said.

"There's going to be more people who are going to have to do that as well."

The Knights had lost prop David Klemmer and back-rower Lachlan Fitzgibbon to injuries in the weeks prior to the Sharks game, and then had fellow forward Mitch Barnett suspended for six games that week.

Down on troops, Jones' return was needed, even more so given he is one of the more experienced players among the younger brigade of Knights coach Adam O'Brien can call on, having played 22 games in a breakout season last year and seven in 2020.

Jones clearly pushed through his stint against the Sharks, but said it had been somewhat easier against Manly a week later, a game in which he played 80 minutes.

"I felt heaps better lung-wise out there," Jones said after the Knights' 30-6 loss to the Sea Eagles last week.

"The weather made it a bit slower, so it was probably a little easier on the lungs."

The Knights were left with only player on the interchange bench for a period against the Sea Eagles after Dom Young, Kalyn Ponga and Jirah Momoisea all left the field in the first half.

But they could have been another man down had Jones not battled on after straining a hamstring early in the game.

Despite having never had a hamstring injury, Jones was confident of facing St George Illawarra this week and was on Tuesday named to start in the back-row.

"It was just a little bit of a tweak on the hammy. I don't think it's going to be that bad," Jones said.

"I've never really done one before so I'm not sure what to expect. We'll just play it by ear now. It's a long turnaround, I'll be right."

Jones has played his two games this season on the left edge, a position he hasn't really played for the Knights.

Last year he mostly played on the right, when experienced back-rower Tyson Frizell was out with injury.

Jones said he trained on the left edge over summer and expects to stay there for the time being given both Barnett and Fitzgibbon are out for extended periods.

But the former Australian Schoolboys representative, who signed on with the Knights last year until the end of 2023, said there was plenty of room for improvement given the limited training he has completed in recent weeks.

"I trained there all preseason, but it was a little bit clunky coming back. I think I did one session after COVID ... so there's still a bit of connection stuff there with 'Cluney', Bradman and Enari," Jones said.

"It was there before but then I got injured.

"You go away for six or seven weeks and you lose a bit of connection."

Indeed, Jones only started playing back-row when he first came into the first-grade squad under Nathan Brown.

"I more played middle coming through juniors," he said.

"I'm still learning on the run a little bit, but I'm getting more and more confident."

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