The Warriors‘ English import Morgan Gannon’s NRL debut was over in under five minutes after a heavy tackle on Jacob Saifiti.
It was one of few blights on an otherwise flawless performance for the Warriors, who continued their hot start to the year with a 38-12 win in the Hunter.
Returning the kickoff from the Knights’ opening try of the afternoon, Saifiti turned his back as he reached the Warriors line, where Gannon and James Fisher-Harris were waiting.
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Gannon wore Saifiti’s back and shoulder and was immediately groggy. It looked as if he at one point tried to get up, but was told by a trainer to stay on the ground.
Morgan Gannon was immediately groggy after the collision. FOX Sports
“That’s concerning. A big impact from Saifiti,” Jake Duke said in commentary for Fox Sports.
Panthers legend Greg Alexander said there was little the 23-year-old did wrong.
“You’ve got four or five players converging, (and) there was Gannon,” he said.
“He’s holding his ground, set himself, and Saifiti turned his body sideways.
“That’s unfortunate for his debut.”
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Without Kalyn Ponga, stand-in fullback Fletcher Hunt scored the Knights first of the afternoon to give his side an early lead.
Not long after, Gannon was ruled a category one HIA and ruled out for the rest of the match and the next 11 days.
Gannon has 73 Super League matches for Leeds under his belt playing mostly in the second row.
Mitchell Barnett was given a big hug by skipper James Fisher-Harris when he came on the field for his first NRL appearance in 10 months after an ACL injury.
He was straight into the action, taking a kick-return immediately after getting on the ground.
Both teams headed into the match unbeaten, but the Warriors looked a class above in Newcastle.
Despite scoring first, the Knights were quickly on the back foot as the Warriors kicked into gear. Clark, Jackson Ford and Leka Halasima all crossed in the first half to give the visitors a 18-6 lead at half time.
Fletcher Hunt was sent to the bin with eight minutes to go in the first half, with the Warriors making the most of the advantage to score through Halasima.
The Warriors carried the momentum into the second half, with James Fisher-Harris, Tanah Boyd and Luke Hanson all scoring. Boyd also booted four conversions and a penalty goal to finish with 14 points for the match.
And there might yet still be some more pain for the Knights. Trey Mooney was also sent to the bin with five minutes to go and put on report for a nasty hit on Tanah Boyd after he’d put in a kick.
Boyd immediately grabbed at his knee, and left Taine Tuaupiki to kick the goal as he limped away.