Newcastle’s injury curse worsened after five-eighth Blake Green suffered a suspected ACL injury against North Queensland on Sunday.

In just his third game for the club, the 33-year-old buckled under the weight of a tackle and was taken from the field midway through the first half.

It’s a huge blow for the former Warrior who joined the club on a short-term deal until the end of the season as a stop-gap solution for a troubling casualty ward at the Knights.

He’s off-contract at the end of the season and has indicated he’d like to play on, but the latest setback could force him into retirement.

It’s the second ACL injury for the Knights this season after hooker Jayden Brailey went down in round two.

The Knights’ list of injuries is astronomical and includes eight regular starting players, including fellow dummy-half options Andrew McCullough and Connor Watson who have both been ruled out for the season.

Daniel Saifiti, Sione Mata’utia, Bradman Best, Tim Glasby and Edrick Lee are also sidelined for the Knights.