The Roosters have beaten the Knights 18-16 on the back of a Joey Manu masterclass in an epic fullback duel with Kalyn Ponga at McDonald Jones Stadium.

The Roosters have suffered a major blow with reports Luke Keary suffered a fractured jaw in their gutsy 18-16 win over Newcastle that has breathed new life into their season.

The veteran five-eighth was trying to make a cover tackle on Knights speedster Dom Young when he copped a stray boot to the face.

Keary left the field immediately and went straight up the tunnel with the club fearing the three-time premiership winner had fractured his jaw in the contact and could miss up to eight weeks.

It would be a catastrophic blow for a side that has scored the fewest points this season and is battling to stay in touch with the top eight.

There was no suggestion that Keary had suffered any concussion symptoms given his history of head knocks, but he appeared in discomfort in the sheds before he was sent for scans.

It’s another setback for the Roosters who are already without injured stars Sam Walker and Brandon Smith, but at least they returned to winning wins after they survived a furious second-half comeback to hold on by two points.

BIG HITS

JOSEPH IS THE MANU

Roosters coach Trent Robinson faces a selection headache next week after Joseph Manu ran for more metres than any player has produced in a game this season in a stunning return to fullback.

There is no doubt that skipper James Tedesco will slot straight back in if he gets through Origin, but Robinson must now decide if he shifts Manu to five-eighth again or if he picks him at right centre.

Manu was ineffective in the halves this season where he’d scored just one try and had one assist, but Keary’s injury means he might have to go back there next week.

The Golden Boot winner showed he may in fact be the best fullback in the world after putting up absurd numbers in Newcastle.

He had 178 metres, five tackle busts and four offloads in the first half alone, finishing with a whopping 295 metres and a superb solo try when his team needed him most.

“I love running the ball and the freedom the fullback position gives you,” he said after the game.

“It was nice to play there.”

KNIGHTMARE

There would have been a quiet optimism in the Hunter after the Knights pushed premiership heavyweights the Broncos all the way last week, but the dream quickly became a nightmare in what turned out to be a horror show.

A big crowd was let down by one of the worst performances by Newcastle this season against a patchwork Roosters side that was there to be beaten.

The Knights gave their loyal fans false hope when Dom Young scored a fortuitous early try but that was the only first-half highlight as they found new ways to implode.

Nothing summed up the afternoon quite like a bombed try in the second half when Kalyn Ponga broke through, only for his teammates to somehow come up with a string of shocking passes that saw the ball dribble into touch.

Ponga had a terrific game at the back but he can’t do everything for this team.

PONGA’S LONE HAND AS KNIGHTS RUE MISSED CHANCES

The Knights are making a habit of close losses this season and were below their best against the Roosters, but Kalyn Ponga nearly willed his side to victory on his own.

In an epic duel with opposite number Manu, Ponga finished with 172 metres, seven tackle busts, three offloads, two linebreaks, one linebreak assist and one try assist.

Ponga has been in red hot form for the Knights since switching back to fullback and he looked dangerous every time he touched the ball against the Roosters.

Greg Alexander believes the Knights took the loss so hard because they should have won against a depleted Roosters outfit a week after going down to the Broncos despite being the better team.

“You can see how shattered Newcastle are,” Alexander said.

“They have been very good at home this season. They have won four out of six at home. They go down in a thriller.

“It was 18-6 at half-time. They got it back to 18-16, but they just couldn’t land that final killer blow.

“They now sit five wins and one draw and that is a long way behind a lot of the teams around that top eight and they are drifting down to the bottom of the competition ladder now.”