Fiji international and former Blue Jacob Saifiti will miss the 2026 finals after accepting a lengthy ban for a high tackle at the weekend.

The Newcastle Knights were dealt a blow to their return to finals when the judiciary earlier this week offered Saifiti a four match ban for the grade two 'reckless' tackle on the Warriors' Luke Laulilii early on in the contest on Sunday.

The Warriors moved to top spot on the ladder with the 46-32 win and one game remaining in the home-and-away season, while the Knights are locked into the top eight with the Sea Eagles and Bulldogs sitting two wins shy of eighth spot.

A five game ban would have been handed down with an unsuccessful challenge.

Saifiti will now spend the Knights elimination final next weekend, with no chance to return even if his side were to progress through further.

It is unclear whether he could miss World Cup fixtures later in the year with the ban.

The prop made direct shoulder-first contact with Laulilii, who'd bobbled the ball in the lead-up, in the 13th minute of Sunday's match.

Saifiti was reported and sent off for the incident. It's not his first charge for 2026.

Newcastle were leading 10-nil at the time, before the home side stormed back in Auckland.

His only hope to appear again in 2026 would be a win with a successful appeal and a grand final berth, with the Knights' round 27 bye means the ban won't kick in until next weekend, when Newcastle, sitting seventh on the ladder, play an elimination final next weekend.

The current ladder make up pinning them against South Sydney.

The Bunnies, Knights and Cowboys are on equal points in positions sixth through eighth.

Newcastle last played finals in 2024.