Newcastle will announce popular winger Nathan Ross’ retirement from the NRL in the coming days because of a groin injury.

Ross is set to be medically retired after failing to recover following off-season surgery, however it’s expected that any announcement may take up to a week.

The club must receive clearance from the NRL before ticking off on the 30-year-old’s decision to end a 60-game career.

Ross was famously told by former Knights coach Wayne Bennett he would never make it as a first-grader before making his debut as a 26-year-old in 2015.

He quit a $125,000-a-year job in the mines to take up a $25,000 part-time contract with the Knights and was forced to pour beers at his local pub to make ends meet.

Knights chief executive Philip Gardner praised Ross as a poster boy for perseverance and for the way he was embraced by the Newcastle community.