Newcastle Knights forward Clint Newton is expected to be sidelined for three to four months after scans confirmed a ruptured bicep.
Newton, who has played 100 NRL games for the Knights between 2000-2007, was injured in the Club’s NSW Cup trial loss against Mounties in Sydney on Sunday.
Newton will have surgery on Monday but remains positive and has his sights set on returning to the field for the back end of the season.
"I've still got a lot to give this year," Newton tells Knights TV.
"It wasn't a great (scan) result as it shows that I've ruptured my bicep and the tendon has broken off the bone down at the elbow joint, but my season is certainly not over.
"Being realistic it will be about three or four months out, which gives me plenty of time to come back and contribute for the rest of the season."
Of course his bicep injury is far from ideal, but Newton says he'll use the setback as greater motivation to end his career on his own terms.
He says returning to Newcastle after stints with Melbourne, Hull KR and Penrith was all about giving back to the Club where his career started back in 2000.
"It will be long and I'm sure I'll have some dark days there, but at the same time I've been through worse than this before," he says.
"But I'm looking forward to the challenge and it will show just how much I want it.
"My main focus has always been that I wanted to contribute something to the Knights.
"It didn't matter what grade, because I just wanted to make a difference.
"I also didn't want to let the fans down, which obviously there is a part of me that feels like I've done that after getting injured.
"I just want to repay the Club for giving me an opportunity to come back and finish where I started."
Newton will spend plenty of time on the sideline in the coming months, but it will also provide him with a chance to work with the Club's emerging players.
That was a major reason why he returned to the Knights in the first place.
"I've still got an important role to play working with the younger players," he says.
"I take a lot of pride hopefully working with some of the NSW Cup players and trying to make a difference."
