Struggling Newcastle have been hit with further bad news, with Peter Mata’utia ruled out for eight weeks and Jarrod Mullen could be sidelined for a similar period of time.

The Knights confirmed on Tuesday Mullen suffered a high grade hamstring strain in their Anzac Day loss to Manly.

The NRL club, second last on the NRL ladder, said it wasn’t able yet to provide a timeframe for Mullen’s recovery. However a grade three hamstring strain is typically a recovery period of up to 12 weeks.

The Knights were more definitive in their assessment of Mata’utia’s injury.

“Scans confirmed a medial collateral ligament and meniscus injury to his right knee. The injury is expected to keep Mata’utia out for approximately eight weeks,” a statement read.