Newcastle Knights confirm Bradman Best out for a month due to groin injury
The Knights will have $3.2 million of talent sidelined over the coming weeks after the club confirmed Bradman Best had suffered a groin injury.
Best is set to spend the next month on the sidelines to rehabilitate the injury, joining star teammates Kalyn Ponga and Dylan Brown in the casualty ward for the Knights.
The NSW centre only managed 40 minutes on the field on Sunday against the Raiders before he was ruled out of the match, watching the second half from the bench with ice on his groin.
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Bradman Best watches on from the sidelines after suffering a groin injury. Nine
Newcastle coach Justin Holbrook said Best alerted staff of his discomfort early in the first half, but he was impressed to see him remain on the paddock until half-time.
"He struggled through the first half, to be honest," Holbrook said.
"He wasn't good early on but he got through to half-time which was big for us. But it is obviously not great that he had to come off."
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Newcastle confirmed on Monday that Best had been sent for scans and was diagnosed with a moderate-grade groin strain.
Should Best return after four weeks, he should be fit to play in the first game of the State of Origin series.
Kalyn Ponga of the Knights celebrates scoring a try with teammate Bradman Best. Getty
But in promising signs for Holbrook and Knights fans, the team has managed to find great success in the absence of their high-profile stars.
Holbrook revealed the club was expecting Brown to return from an MCL strain in two weeks' time.
Brown admitted to Nine that his recovery had been "smooth sailing" so far.
As for Ponga, the coach is expecting he is still a month away from returning.
Newcastle will take on Wests Tigers to wrap up the round six fixtures on Sunday.