ANOTHER one bites the dust.
Veteran playmaker Blake Green's stint with the Newcastle Knights appears to have ended prematurely after a knee injury he suffered took the gloss off their 12-0 victory against North Queensland on Sunday.
Newcastle's third consecutive win at McDonald Jones Stadium lifted them to sixth on the ladder with 19 points.
With five regular-season rounds remaining, they are seven points clear of four teams sitting equal ninth - Wests Tigers, St George Illawarra, Manly and the Warriors - and are apparently assured of a berth in the play-offs for the first time since 2013.
But any celebrations were curtailed by concern for the unfortunate Green, who was playing his third game for Newcastle after gaining a mid-season release from the Warriors.
Having already received treatment for a bloodied nose early in the game, Green crashed to the turf in an innocuous 18th-minute tackle and immediately clutched at his left knee in obvious distress.
Newcastle's medical staff feared he had suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage, which will necessitate reconstructive surgery.
Scans on Monday will deliver a more accurate prognosis but the prospect of losing him long term is a cruel blow to Newcastle's hopes.
Already the Knights are without hookers Jayden Brailey (knee), Connor Watson (Achilles) and Andrew McCullough (hamstring), winger Edrick Lee (arm), prop Tim Glasby (concussion), back-rower Sione Mata'utia (ankle), centre Bradman Best (ankle) and prop Daniel Saifiti.
Newcastle coach Adam O'Brien admitted it was a "pretty sombre" dressing room after the game.
"It's not looking good," O'Brien said.
"He's shattered ... I feel like crying with him.
"I'm getting used to it now, though. I've had to do it a few times this year.
"It's carnage."
Green is off contract at the end of this season and his hopes of earning a deal for next year - most likely at another club - might depend on the severity of his injury.
He will be 34 by the time the 2021 season kicks off and, if a ruptured ACL is confirmed, faces at least six months of recovery and rehabilitation.
In Green's absence, Phoenix Crossland came off the bench and shared the roles of hooker and five-eighth with versatile Kurt Mann.
In addition, Newcastle winger Starford Toa was taken off late in the first half for a head-injury assessment, which left the home team with a makeshift backline in which back-rower Lachlan Fitzgibbon filled in as a stopgap centre.
O'Brien said in the circumstances he was satisfied with the result, in particular keeping the Cowboys scoreless.
It was the second time this year that Newcastle have kept their line intact, after kicking off the season with a 20-0 shutout against the Warriors.
"I thought we honoured the jersey we were wearing, definitely," O'Brien said.
"We worked hard, climbing back up off the ground and finding a way to get it done for each other.
"We had guys defending out of position, so I'm proud of their effort."
Newcastle led 6-0 at half-time after a Hymel Hunt try and a Kalyn Ponga penalty goal, but the loss of Green was compounded by skipper Mitchell Pearce receiving 10 minutes in the sin-bin for a professional foul just seconds before half-time.
That meant the Knights were reduced to 12 men for the first 10 minutes of the second half.
The numbers were evened up five minutes after the interval when Cowboys forward Mitchell Dunn was binned.
A Ponga penalty goal in the 63rd minute increased the Knights' lead to 8-0.
Ponga then iced the win two minutes from full-time with a cut-out pass that put fellow former Cowboy Enari Tuala over in the corner against his old club.
North Queensland's hopes were dented when champion forward Jason Taumalolo was replaced with a calf strain early in the second half.
"I didn't like our last plays, I thought our kicking game was poor," Cowboys interim coach Josh Hannay said.
"Particularly in the second half. We'd worked really hard int he second half to give ourselves a chance.
"We showed some effort and resolve there that we haven't seen in a while at this club.
"That gave us a chance, and then the second half we lacked control with our last plays to build any pressure."
