Peter McGeoch has been the Newcastle doctor for 21 years, and he's rarely seen anything like it.

In the words of their coach Rick Stone, the Knights' away dressing room at Brookvale Oval resembled a MASH unit on Sunday, as five players left the field seriously injured and another couple sought attention and played on.

For most of the second half, Cameron Ciraldo and Richard Fa'aoso took turns at soldiering on out in the middle, being the only Newcastle players left on the bench - and both were busted themselves.

So busy was McGeoch that there were fallen troops he simply couldn't attend to as the Knights dropped like flies in the second half of their brave 26-12 NRL loss to Manly.

"Yeah, it was quite hectic," McGeoch laughed.

"I've been here a long time, 21 years and that was up there (as the worst toll)."

Perhaps the most crushing blow dealt to Stone and his team was in the halves, with boom rookie Beau Henry suffering a fractured ankle in the 42nd minute, and his back-up Ben Rogers going down with a dislocated shoulder minutes later.

Henry had been very promising in the Knights start to the season, but the Knights are now praying he'll be back before the year is done.

"He's a young kid in his third game of first grade and to have a big injury like that is going to have a big impact on him," said halves partner, Jarrod Mullen.

Such was the Knights' crisis on the sidelines, McGeoch tried valiantly to pop Rogers' shoulder back into place and get him back out there.

But to no avail and Rogers faces six weeks on the sidelines.

"We just couldn't get it back in, it's the only one in 20 years I haven't managed to get back in," McGeoch lamented.

The Knights are now hoping Kurt Gidley makes it back next week, and he'll most likely have to fill a gaping hole in the halves.

"We've got a position vacant sign at the Knights for someone in the halves next week. I am sure we will find someone," said Stone.

The hope is that Ciraldo's pectoral muscle is only partially torn, meaning he'll be back in six-eight weeks, while Shannon McDonnell and Fa'aoso will be assessed for concussion ahead of next week's clash with premiers St George Illawarra in Newcastle.

McDonnell finished the first half despite Stone saying post-match that "he didn't know where he was" at halftime.

While Fa'aoso was allowed to return after a short break on the sidelines despite knocking himself out midway through the second half and stumbling all over the place as he tried to get back into the line.

This raised questions about whether the NRL needs to follow the AFL's lead and introduce more stringent rules for concussion.

The Knights agreed it's not a great look, and suggested changes to the interchange rule might need to be looked at.

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