JACOB Saifiti’s hopes of salvaging some positives from a disappointing season appear to have been dashed.
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The towering Newcastle forward and twin brother to Daniel Saifiti has not played since he suffered a fractured shoulder blade after a heavy tackle by Gold Coast prop Ryan James on May 19.
Initially it was expected he would be sidelined for 12 weeks and might return for Newcastle’s final few games of the season.
But he was not involved in Monday’s ball-work and contact session and it now seems that Newcastle’s medical staff will advise him to err on the side of caution and sit out the last three games.
It caps a frustrating year for the 22-year-old, who has been restricted to only eight NRL appearances, after playing in 39 games over the previous two campaigns, as well as five Tests for Fiji at last year’s World Cup.
Meanwhile, Knights centre Nathan Ross is set to miss his third consecutive game with a groin problem when Newcastle tackle Penrith on Saturday.
Ross, Newcastle’s leading tryscorer in 2016 and 2017, remains hopeful he will be cleared to return before the end of the season.