Knights halfback Jackson Hastings has begun another long road to recovery after undergoing successful leg surgery on Monday.
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Hastings has had a new 15-centimetre plate installed in his lower right leg to repair a fibula fracture.
Post-surgery X-rays that the playmaker shared on social media show a mass of metal and screws now holding the bone together.
It is the second time in little more than a year that Hastings has had surgery on that leg, after having a plate inserted last August to repair an initial fracture.
On that occasion, when he was still playing for Wests Tigers, Hastings' leg had been broken by a controversial hip-drop tackle from Brisbane forward Pat Carrigan.
The incident ended Hastings' season and he didn't play for the Tigers again.
Carrigan was banned for four matches.
The recovery from that injury proved difficult for Hastings after joining Newcastle. He was not able to run for months in the pre-season.
"I ruptured my syndesmosis completely and had a fair fracture in my leg," Hastings said, opening up on the injury earlier this year.
"It did a bit of nerve damage, so I can't really feel the sole of my foot too much.
"I could hardly walk for two-and-a-half months and then didn't run until about four-and-a-half months."
Playing for the Knights against Canterbury last month, Hastings re-injured the same leg although it was initially only thought to be a syndesmosis issue.
He missed three games before returning for the home semi-final against Canberra.
But in the first half of the elimination match, he again clutched his leg in pain after being struck by a wayward leg of an opposing player.
He did not return and missed the 40-10 semi-final loss to the Warriors on Saturday.
A major leg fracture was identified after the Canberra incident, but doctors also found a minor break that Hastings may have been carrying all year.
Following Monday's surgery, Hastings wrote in an online post he was "ready for the challenge" of recovering from the latest setback, sharing a photo of himself in hospital and the X-rays.
The injury is expected to delay the halfback's involvement early in the pre-season, which begins in November.
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