Newcastle have had a rollercoaster preparation for their NRL clash with premiers Melbourne with star halfback Mitchell Pearce set to miss the match with a hamstring injury. The Knights had a win of sorts when the match was relocated from Melbourne's feared AAMI Park to neutral territory on the Gold Coast. And in a further boost, game-breaking fullback Kalyn Ponga came through Queensland's Origin win unscathed and is expected to line up on Saturday night. But Pearce is likely to be missing after suffering a hamstring issue, compounded by the Knights being unable to send the halfback for scans because of the NRL bubble. "Mitchell Pearce has got some awareness in his hamstring at the moment," coach Adam O'Brien said on Friday. "We haven't been able to scan him as yet so until that happens I'd lean toward withdrawing Mitchell and play the long game with him rather than risk him. "It's been a really indifferent and challenging week so the smart thing to do is to be patient there."
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