Injured Knights prop Daniel Saifiti says he will do everything he can to play against the Melbourne Storm on Saturday week despite the shattering blow of missing Origin III with a fractured rib cartilage.
After playing an influential role in the NSW Blues' 2-0 lead in the series, Saifiti says he is still coming to terms with missing the final game and the chance to lift the Origin shield.
"It's shattering to miss out," Saifiti told the Newcastle Herald. "I would have loved to have been out there for the clean sweep and to lift the shield but unfortunately, it's not to be."
While he will be racing the clock to be right to take on the Storm, Saifiti says he will try and give himself every chance to play.
Remarkably, he suffered the injury in the opening minutes of last Saturday night's game against North Queensland but still managed to rack up 113 running metres in 37 minutes.
"I felt it pop in the first tackle I made after about two minutes," he said. "I knew what had happened because I've done a rib cartilage before.
"I think with all the adrenaline and while it was warm, I just kept going but it was pretty sore afterwards and is still pretty sore. I won't do any training this week and we'll see how it goes at training next week and whether it's worth needling for the Melbourne game.
"But I won't play if it's going to affect me too much."
It's understood rib cartilage fractures normally take around three weeks to fully heal.
Meanwhile, backrower Tyson Frizell is still a chance of being cleared of an ankle injury to play against Melbourne.
Frizell has been sidelined for the past month and was ruled out of the Origin series after rolling his ankle in the closing minutes of the Knights' loss to Parramatta on Old Boys' Day.
According to coach Adam O'Brien, the backrower has been making strong progress in his recovery.
"He's one of the most professional players I have ever seen and he is leaving no stone unturned in his rehab," O'Brien said. "He is certainly giving himself every chance of being back for the Storm but if we have to give him an extra week, we will."
The Knights will go into the Melbourne game on the Sunshine Coast having not tasted success over the Storm in their past nine encounters. Newcastle hasn't recorded a win over them since 2015.
They will be sweating on Queensland fullback Kalyn Ponga getting through Origin III unscathed after his great return from injury and will take plenty of confidence out of the 38-0 hiding they dished out to the Cowboys.
