The decision as to whether or not Newcastle Knights centre Adam McDougall will play in the Knights Rd 1 clash next Sunday, will rest solely in his hands, after he lost his father Gil suddenly, last week.
Rick Stone, the Knights coach, says that the onus is on McDougall as to whether he plays or not in the Knights Rd 1 clash.
“It will be all up to him and how he is feeling,” Stone said.
“The same thing happened to me recently and it’s a really tough time. No one respects that more than I do.
“We’ve obviously given him some time off to be with the family. I’ve spoken to him and just told him to take all the time he needs.”
The position will become clearer once the details of the funeral are made known, and that is the next step in the sudden death of Gil.
“At this stage we are still not 100 per cent sure when the funeral will be, but obviously that’s the next thing.
“The closer it is to the game, I guess the less likely he will be available.”