Bradman Best could miss remainder of NRL season in massive new blow for Newcastle Knights

The Newcastle Knights are facing the prospect of being without Bradman Best for the rest of the NRL season after scans reportedly revealed his hamstring injury is worse than first thought. The gun centre limped off in the opening minutes of the Knights' loss to Brisbane last weekend after a chase on Reece Walsh.

Best pulled up lame and couldn't play the rest of the game, continuing a worrying run of hamstring injuries for the NSW State of Origin star. Best did his left hamstring in Round 11 and missed a number of weeks, ruling him out of contention for NSW in Origin 1.

He then had scans on his right hamstring in the lead-up to Origin 3, but was deemed fit to play and helped the Blues win the Origin shield for the first time in three years. The Knights risked Best just three days after the Origin decider and opted to have him play against Brisbane, but it backfired almost immediately when he did his left hammy again.

The Knights initially stated they didn't think the latest ailment was overly serious, but reports have emerged that he's facing at least a month on the sidelines. With only seven rounds remaining before the NRL finals, the Knights could opt to shut Best down for the rest of the season if they can't make the semis when he's due to come back.

"It's about a month on the sidelines but because of his history, the Knights are likely going to rest him," Michael Carayannis reported on SEN radio on Wednesday. "If he's any risk of aggravating the injury, he won't play again."

It comes as a crushing blow for the Knights amid their quest to surge into the NRL finals for the second year running. Their loss to the Broncos left them in 13th place on the ladder on 20 points - four points outside the top-eight. They do have a bye this week but will then face the Panthers in Penrith - a daunting task even if they did have Best.

"He had some awareness and tightness after the Canberra game [in round 18] leading up to Origin, but that was cleared so it's not that one, it's the other one," Knights coach Adam O'Brien said after the loss to Brisbane. "They are saying that there are some good signs that it won't be a massive thing, but the way he's built and the way he plays with such power, this happens. It's not unique to us, it's across the entire competition these types of injuries."

Newcastle coach defends decision to play Bradman Best

O'Brien copped some backlash from fans over the decision for Best to back-up after Origin 3. But considering the desperate situation the Knights find themselves in, the coach had little option. "All reports from Origin camp and Bradman himself - he pulled through fine from the game," O'Brien said.

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The injury also comes as a brutal blow for Best after his heroics in the Origin decider. The 22-year-old scored the Blues' first try as they won 14-4 to win the series 2-1. It was the second year running that Best starred for NSW in Game 3 of the Origin series, after he scored two tries on debut in the dead-rubber in 2023.

The Knights were in a similar position in 2023 before staging a remarkable run to the finals off the back of some Kalyn Ponga brilliance. But they also had Best firing at this stage last year, and Ponga doesn't appear to have the same firepower around him to produce more heroics in 2024.