AFTER a Saturday night that ended in tears for Danny Buderus and his Newcastle teammates, the devastated Knights captain spent yesterday looking back on the many highlights of his career in an attempt to come to terms with an injury that has ended his time with the club.

The champion hooker, who will play out his career on a two-year deal with English club Leeds from next season, has played his last game for his beloved Knights after rupturing the biceps tendon in his right arm late in their 38-24 win over the Cowboys at EnergyAustralia Stadium.

He was inconsolable after the game and in tears in the dressing room. Some of his teammates, when they saw him, shed tears as well.

Buderus was due to have an MRI scan late yesterday and the results won't be known until today. However, Dr Neil Halpin, whom Buderus was sent to see on Saturday night, had no doubt they would simply confirm the fears of Dr Peter McGeoch, who examined Buderus at the ground.

"Danny has torn the distal end of his biceps in the right arm," Halpin said yesterday. "He will almost certainly require surgery to repair it, and that will see him out for the rest of the season and requiring a six-month recovery period. I put a temporary cast on Danny's arm last night and I told him how it is. He was very upset, but he took it bravely."

Buderus, one of the most popular figures in the history of the Newcastle club, was bombarded with phone calls and text messages from his many friends yesterday. The importance he attached to playing out his final season with the club he had represented since he was a teenager was well known.

Having been robbed of the chance to go out on his own terms - in what he hoped would be one last finals series - Buderus tried to focus on his many achievements in the game, including a grand final win in 2001, 21 games for NSW and 24 Test matches.

He appreciated the good wishes of so many people, saying: "Thanks so much for the messages, boys. I'm pretty shattered. It really hit me last night, but that's the way it goes. I've had a pretty good run."

Buderus was looking forward to playing his final home game for Newcastle against Melbourne on Saturday. There will obviously still be a send-off for him, and, while it will eat away at him that he won't be able to play, there is bound to be a packed house at EnergyAustralia Stadium showing their appreciation.

The Knights, who are away to Brisbane in the final round, will need to win at least one of their last two games to make the finals, depending on other results.

Newcastle players were so upset by the injury to Buderus that they did not immediately have the heart to sing their victory song after beating the Cowboys.

Most of his teammates were unaware of the gravity of the situation until they filed into the dressing-room and saw their captain sitting at his locker cradling his crippled arm and weeping.

As word went around that Buderus was gone for the season, some of his teammates were also reduced to tears.

Not knowing what to say, the players headed for the recovery room down the hall until fullback Kurt Gidley, who is set to succeed Buderus as Newcastle captain, called them back.

The players then stood around Buderus and belted out the song.

"We're all devastated," five-eighth Jarrod Mullen said yesterday. "It's very sad and it's not fair, if you ask me. The boys didn't even want to sing the team song, but we had to sing it for Bedsy one last time."

The injury won't affect Buderus's move to England, even though he could miss the start of next season.

Speaking on Channel Nine's The Footy Show yesterday, Andrew Johns said: "He's devastated. I spoke to him this morning. He's going to go have an operation next week. He actually hurt it passing a ball, believe it or not, just throwing a long ball.

"He spoke to his club, Leeds, last night, and there's no trouble there. I would have loved to have seen him play next week, his last game, but, no fairytales for Bedsy."