Knights 'feared the worst' after sickening Mata'utia clash

Newcastle coach Nathan Brown says he "feared the worst" when Chanel Mata'utia went down after a sickening clash in the Knights' loss to the Roosters at Allianz Stadium on Friday night.

Mata'utia was hit in a collision with Blake Ferguson midway through the second half.

He was on the ground for some time while club medical staff assisted the winger.

"Bad concussion but nothing else but concussion, which is great," Knights coach Nathan Brown said in the post-match press conference.

"It's a pretty bad one but he's nothing broken or nothing bad. Chanel's had a bad run with injury so we feared the worst there."

The Roosters were well held by Newcastle until late, with the finals-bound side picking up a crucial 28-4 win.

Shaun Kenny-Dowall scored the Knights' only try in his first game against his former club but that was the only highlight.

Ferguson and Luke Keary eased their way over the line in the first half for the Roosters as the home side took a 12-4 lead into the break.

Neither team could find points in the second stanza until Daniel Tupou scored for the Chooks in the 61st minute.

Isaac Liu and Connor Watson also got their names on the score sheet with tries in the final 15 minutes.

Watch the full match highlights: