Newcastle Knights captain Kalyn Ponga will miss Friday's home clash with the Gold Coast Titans following a heavy knock late in State of Origin Game 2.
Ponga was forced off in the 71st minute following a crunching tackle from Nathan Cleary, which has led to the fullback being diagnosed with category one concussion symptoms.
With just five days between Game 2 and Newcastle's clash with the Gold Coast, all category one concussions require a seven-day recovery period, leaving the captain no choice but to sit out this week's must-win clash.
This isn't the first head knock for Ponga this season, with this concussion coming as his second in a fortnight, after a nasty head clash against Penrith in Round 14 nearly saw the custodian miss last week's clash against the Canberra Raiders.
Due to Round 16 being the only club game before Game 3 squads are announced, it means we won't see Kalyn back on the pitch until he runs out with the Maroons for the Suncorp decider in just over a fortnight's time at Suncorp Stadium.
The Knights will name their replacement tomorrow afternoon, with Tex Hoy tipped to be the likely man to run out at fullback, as well as Bailey Hodgson only having made just one appearance in the NSW Cup so far this season.
