KNIGHTS hooker Slade Griffin is not expected to take the field in 2019 and has reportedly been offered a role with the club’s coaching staff.

The Newcastle Herald is reporting that Griffin is set to be appointed as the club’s wrestling coach, with Nathan Brown conceding the luckless 27-year-old is unlikely to play NRL next season after his fourth ACL injury.

“He has to see his specialist and if everything is really good healing-wise from his first operation, you’d expect with his next operation, if that goes well, he may play very late in the season,” Brown told The Newcastle Herald.

“But I’d suggest it wouldn’t be in the NRL. He’d be aiming to have a few games at the back end in reserve grade.

“Even that would hinge on him being right to have the second operation straight away. If it hasn’t healed enough and he has got to wait another month or two, he’ll be struggling to even get back at all next year.”

Griffin joined the club from Melbourne in hopes of securing a regular starting position at the Knights in 2018. However, after 16 solid games for the Knights, Griffin was struck down by the fourth ACL injury of his career.

Although there are hopes Griffin could return to the field in 2020, it appears his career is in jeopardy.