OUTSTANDING Knights rookie Bradman Best is booked in for surgery on Tuesday to repair the ankle he injured in Sunday's 26-16 loss to Melbourne.
The 18-year-old suffered a syndemosis, or high-ankle sprain, but how long he will be sidelined will be unclear until after his operation.
With eight regular-season games remaining, Knights officials are clinging to hope that he might recover in time to play again this season.
Meanwhile, pack leader David Klemmer has bluntly rejected suggestions that last Sunday's performance was a step forward.
Coming off a lacklustre 18-12 loss to last-placed Canterbury, the Knights were labelled "brave" by coach Adam O'Brien, who said he "couldn't be more proud of them this week" after they battled a spate of injuries to keep the Storm honest.
But Klemmer insisted nothing less than a win against Wests Tigers at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday will suffice.
"We lost both games," Klemmer said.
"Obviously we were a bit better with the football [against Melbourne] but there were still a lot of errors made, across the board.
"We didn't get the win, so we've got to knock it on the head this week.
"We can't drop the ball ... some of our effort areas were a bit better, but at the end of the day, it doesn't mean anything if you don't win the footy game. We've lost two in a row. We can't go three in a row."
