Roosters utility Connor Watson has been ruled out of Sunday's NRL grand final after failing to receive clearance from an independent doctor.
Watson suffered a head knock just one minute after coming on to the field of last Friday's preliminary final victory and was promptly ruled out of the remainder of the match.
With players typically placed into an 11-day stand-down period after a concussion, the Roosters sought clearance from an independent neurologist for Watson to line up in the grand final.
The request has been denied, with the 30-year-old to miss the decider. He will likely be replaced on the six-man bench by young gun Benaiah Ioelu.
In his last ever NRL game, Daly Cherry-Evans will become the oldest player in grand final history at 37 years and 183 days, surpassing the record set by Melbourne's Cameron Smith, who was 37 and 130 days old when he took the field against the Panthers in the 2020 decider.
The loss of Phoenix Crossland to suspension has seen Harrison Graham added to the starting side in No.14 with Kyle McCarthy joining the six-man interchange.
The next official update isn't until Saturday night so there is still room for coach Justin Holbrook to make a switch and bring Thomas Cant into the starting side at dummy half with Graham coming from the bench as he has done so successfully in 17 of his 19 games this season.
Star centre Bradman Best sat out training on Wednesday but that was merely a precaution and he will be ready to go on Sunday as he presses his claims for a Kangaroos jersey.
The Knights will take on the Roosters at 8.30pm Sunday at Accor Stadium, Sydney.
Source: nrl.com
