Injury curse continues for rising Newcastle star Fletcher Sharpe as brave Knights hang on in Las Vegas opener
Youngster Fletcher Sharpe lasted just 25 minutes before having to leave the field with a knee injury, taking some of the shine off Newcastle’s gutsy victory in Las Vegas on Sunday.
The Knights survived several attacks from North Queensland midway through the second half – and Kalyn Ponga somehow managed to evade winger Braidon Burns’ brutal high shot – but there are fears Sharpe may have suffered a serious injury in the 28-18 win.
The 21-year-old player, who received the number 6 jersey in the first match of the NRL season in the entertainment capital of the world, had wonderful moments.
He scored the first try when he chased hard after a Ponga kick and took the ball out of the air. And he did well to throw a quick pass to the unmarked Greg Marzhew, who scored the Knights’ second goal.
However, Sharpe appeared to suffer a knee injury with no one around him on the defensive line, and after a quick assessment he continued to play for another minute before heading to the sideline. TV reports said the Knights’ medical staff believed there was no suggestion of an ACL injury.
Kalyn Ponga asked the Cowboys a lot of questions in the season opener.Credit: Getty Images
Sharpe, who missed the back half of last year, deserved a change of chances after suffering a ruptured kidney and ruptured spleen in a game against the Dolphins. Following this injury, he remained in hospital for a week before being cleared to fly home.
The Knights are fortunate to have a serviceable half replacement in Sandon Smith, who did a good job when he came on. It was noteworthy that Ponga’s through ball flew into space at the beginning of the second half.
New Knights coach Justin Holbrook would have been delighted with the performance.
