Newcastle skipper Kurt Gidley has expressed his disappointment at not being able to lead the Knights out for their final match of the season against the Storm on Sunday.
Gidley suffered a knee injury towards the end of last week's season-ending 26-18 loss to the Dragons and with nothing on the line this weekend, he will undergo the surgeon's knife to correct the complaint.
"It's disappointing not to be able to play the last game against Melbourne," Gidley said at Knights training this week.
"I picked up a knee injury last week and tore a bit of cartilage. So I am going to have to have an op (operation) and get it sorted out."
"The last 20 minutes of the game on the weekend I was a bit of a passenger and I knew it wasn't right. But I think a two-week recovery is what I have been told so it is a pretty straight-forward operation."
In addition to Gidley's absence, the Knights will be without full-back Shannon McDonnell who is still recovering from a hamstring injury.
Wes Naiqama will take over in the No.1 jersey while Gidley's half-back spot will be taken by Scott Dureau, who will be playing his final match for the Knights before jetting off to the South of France to play with Super League club the Catalan Dragons for the next few seasons.
"That why it is so disappointing not to play this week, especially as it will mean there are some players I won't play with again," Gidley said.
"But it is nice to see Scotty (Dureau) get one last game, and with his good mate Mullo (Jarrod Mullen) in the halves, I'd love to be out there but it is good to see Scotty get one more run with a club that has been very close to his heart."
The Knights will also farewell in-form winger Cooper Vuna, who is playing his last match before taking up a contract with Melbourne's new rugby Super 15 franchise the Rebels next season.
"Coops (Vuna) has been great for the last few weeks. He is a real entertainer and he has been scoring some great tries for us so hopefully he plays well this week and gets a good send off," said Gidley
"They (Melbourne) are in the same boat as us, actually they have more guys moving on down there, so they will be looking for a good end off for their guys. It is going to be a tough match."
"It is a good stadium in Melbourne and it looks like it will be a sell-out again, so it is disappointing not to be playing, but hopefully the boys can finish on a high with a win."