How brutal Ponga name might resolve $5m thriller in NRL’s final high-stakes swap

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“I’d give Hastings the captaincy and take it off Kalyn, I’ve seen what Jackson’s like around people, he’s not afraid to tell them how it is. Whereas I think Kalyn is a gentle soul,” Fletcher instructed foxsports.com.au.

“Sometimes being a captain you need a bit of mongrel in you and Kalyn is so nice, which is not a bad trait to have, but I think Jacko doesn’t give a shit and I would consider it.”

But former Newcastle participant Alex McKinnon believes co-captain and hooker Jayden Brailey must be the membership’s solely skipper.

In any case, they each agree Ponga doesn’t want the additional burden of management as he tries to pull the Knights again from a disappointing 14th-placed end final 12 months.

“Kalyn doesn’t need the extra responsibility but Jayden will support Kalyn however he needs it,” McKinnon stated.

Ponga performed simply 14 video games final 12 months following shoulder and concussion points, and making issues worse he was embroiled in controversy whereas sidelined.

The 24-year-old was filmed being kicked out of a rest room cubicle alongside teammate Kurt Mann at a pub in Newcastle.

The pair had been each injured however nonetheless out in town consuming whereas their staff was getting thumped in Brisbane.

Ponga had solely simply signed a brand new five-year deal value $5 million and he waited six months to deal with the problem, lastly admitting he was “in the wrong”.

“Kalyn really needs to stand up and the pressure is on him because he’s moving into the key playmaking role,” Braith Anasta stated.

“He’s got a new half in Jackson and he needs to be an 8/10 every week for Newcastle to be a chance of even making the finals let alone being premiership threats.

“So there’s a lot of pressure and a lot of onus on him but when you sign big and long deals and perform like he has for Queensland, the expectation is high and he needs to deliver – and he knows that.

“And he can, he’s one of the best players in the game, he’s a superstar but with injuries he’s missed so many games – he needs a huge year.”

The bathroom cubicle saga solely heaped extra strain on coach Adam O’Brien who’s preventing to maintain his job amid a backward slide final 12 months on this third season on the helm.

O’Brien has signed some helpful recruits over the summer time in halfback Hastings (Wests Tigers) and fullback Lachie Miller (Sharks).

In reality, Ponga is the one survivor from the backbone O’Brien rolled out in Round 1 final 12 months and he’s switched from fullback to five-eighth.

Newcastle nice Matthew Johns believes Ponga, Hastings and Miller have the potential to duplicate the Storm’s 2017 premiership-winning facet.

“I really like Lachie as a player,” Matty Johns stated.

“If you look at the way the game has gone, there’s a lot of space through the middle and a lot of opportunities for blokes like Lachie who are smaller, faster and have good footwork.

“I could see in the trial games, him and Kalyn just trying to figure each other out, not trying to step on each other’s toes.

“I really like sides who play a dominant halfback who plays the field and then you almost play with two fullbacks if that makes sense, your No. 6 is like a runner.

“If we go back to 2017 where Melbourne won that competition so convincingly, you had Cooper Cronk the No.7 running the show, you had Cameron Munster and Billy Slater… And Munster at that point wasn’t a ball player, he was a runner and they just destroyed teams.

“So I’m urging Jackson to take the team and let Kalyn be Kalyn, be a bit of a free spirit and Lachie on the back of that as well.”

McKinnon, who has beforehand labored as a recruiter for the Knights, emphasised O”Brien should present persistence in his new-look facet.

“I see them starting shaky and there will be much-needed patience with the selection of the team,” McKinnon stated.

“But I see the team forming some combinations and start building some confidence and going on a run.

“I just feel there needs to be some patience and confidence shown in selections and they’ve got to pick and stick.

“There’s also no benefit from sacking a coach mid year so the club needs to stick strong with O”Brien too.”

STRENGTH

Kalyn Ponga

At his greatest Ponga is among the most harmful gamers within the recreation, with the power to carve up defence traces and switch video games on a dime.

The downside is getting this famous person motivated every week, with the knock on Ponga that he’s not obsessive about rugby league just like the greats of the sport.

If the playmaker can convey the identical depth he delivers for Queensland, over 27 rounds, then the Knights must be heading again to the finals.

Newcastle wants their greatest participant touching the ball as a lot as doable and after their horrible 2022 marketing campaign, O’Brien was left with little alternative however to maneuver Ponga to five-eighth.

“I like him moving into the halves because it’s pretty obvious, when he gets the ball you can see something is going to happen,” Fletcher stated.

“He’s got a bit of help this year with Lachie Miller who is a genuine fullback, which is what you need – Dylan Edwards, James Tedesco, you’ve got to get your 200-250 (running metres) from them.

“Kalyn’s not a player like that whereas Lachy Miller is, so Kalyn can then just concentrate on doing what he does best, either scoring tries or putting blokes through holes.”

McKinnon disagreed that the Knights needed to swap Ponga into the halves, however he nonetheless thinks the transfer will likely be successful.

“I didn’t think it was needed, I think Klayn is a top-five fullback in the game, but it will work because he’s that talented,” he stated.

“Him and Hastings will play really well together as long as Hastings engages the line and can hold defence because that creates space for Kalyn.

“As much as Kalyn is a running threat, Hastings needs to have some aspect of being a threat as well with the ball, it can’t all be shift to Kalyn, he has to be direct.”

WHO’S UNDER PRESSURE

Adam O’Brien

The Knights went from the highest eight in 2020 and 2021 to 14th final season and completed simply 4 factors off the wood spoon with a measly six wins.

The membership failed to exchange their most essential participant in halfback Mitchell Pearce, who was allowed to go away with a 12 months to run on his contract to affix Super League facet Catalans.

Jake Clifford and Adam Clune didn’t cement the No.7 position because the Knights appeared rudderless of their assault, which produced the second-fewest factors within the NRL with 372.

O’Brien has addressed these points however the off-contract coach comes into 2023 having gained simply 29 of his 70 matches on the Knights for a win proportion of 41.4.

Newcastle should enhance their defence dramatically after they conceded the third-most factors within the NRL final season, a whopping 662.

But arguably O’Brien’s greatest challenge is getting the staff’s tradition again on observe after Ponga and Mann’s notorious bathroom cubicle debacle.

“You’ve got to give it to players. You can’t keep cuddling these guys, it drives me insane but maybe I’m old school and I’m watching the Australian cricket team and they’re making me sick,” Fletcher stated.

“I think O”Brien has acquired a number of Justin Langer in him and that’s the issue with these younger gamers now, as quickly as they outlawed the cane, these younger youngsters now simply simply demand shit and you might want to win them over as a result of if the staff is not any good they all the time simply eliminate the coach. It’s simpler to eliminate one bloke than 17.

“That’s why I don’t reckon the Dolphins will run last because they’ve got these hard-nosed blokes from Melbourne.

“It’s the Dale Finucane effect, when Dale went to the Sharks he was just bashing people at training because he’d come from that Melbourne philosophy where they’re tough as nails.

THE RISING STAR

Lachie Miller

Newcastle’s best emerging talent is probably England international winger Dominic Young, but considering he’s off to the Roosters we’re giving it to a mature-aged rookie.

Miller is 28 with just seven NRL games to his name but that’s because he dedicated the first half of his athletic career to becoming an Olympian.

The rugby sevens star represented Australia at the Tokyo Olympics before returning to rugby league which he played as a teenager.

“He has lots of energy and experience through age and with the ball he looks very dangerous,” McKinnon stated.

“The area that will soon be revealed is his defence.”

THE UNLUCKY ONES

Krystian Mapapalangi

Mapapalangi delivered a attempt help together with his first contact within the trials, organising Edrick Lee in opposition to the Raiders.

But the athletic centre who made two appearances final season is caught behind Dane Gagai, Bradman Best and Enari Tuala within the pecking order.

Mapapalangi has missed out on choice in Round 1 however McKinnon believes he might add loads of worth off the bench this season.

“I think he needs to start but don’t think he will if Bradman and Dane are fit. But he could be a great 14,” McKinnon stated.

IT’S A BIG YEAR FOR

Jackson Hastings

The playmaker is remarkably at his sixth membership since debuting on the Roosters as a teenage star in 2014.

Hastings has developed a repute for rubbing teammates up the mistaken method together with his combative character.

His expertise is plain however he’ll must work on his communication expertise if he desires to get the very best out of his teammates round him.

“Jackson is a really high-quality half who is quite educated in the game and knows the game really well,” Anasta stated.

“You know what you’re going to get with him, you know he’s an organiser, plenty of touches, really good short kicking game, he’s just got to do his job and take the pressure off the guys around him.

“That’s where they’ve struggled, there’s been so much focus on Kalyn that if teams shut Kalyn down they win, so Jackson needs to be a different point of attack and he needs to take that pressure off Kalyn.”

PREDICTED FINISH

fifteenth

BEST 17

Lachlan Miller, 2. Greg Marzhew, 3. Dane Gagai, 4. Bradman Best, 5. Dom Young, 6. Kalyn Ponga, 7. Jackson Hastings, 8. Jacob Saifiti, 9. Jayden Brailey, 10. Daniel Saifiti, 11. Tyson Frizell, 12. Lachlan Fitzgibbon, 13. Adam Elliott, 14. Kurt Mann, 15. Jack Hetherington, 16. Mat Croker, 17. Leo Thompson

2023 squad: Adam Elliott (2025), Adam Clune (2023), Bailey Hodgson (2023), Bradman Best (2024), Brodie Jones (2023), Dane Gagai (2024), Daniel Saifiti (2026), Dominic Young (2023), Dylan Lucas (2023, PO 2024), Enari Tuala (2023), Greg Marzhew (2025), Hymel Hunt (2023), Jack Johns (2023), Jack Hetherington (2025), Jacob Saifiti (2024), Jackson Hastings (2025), Jayden Brailey (2025), Kalyn Ponga (2027), Krystian Mapapalangi (2024), Kurt Mann (2023), Lachlan Fitzgibbon (2023), Leo Thompson (2025), Mathew Croker (2024), Phoenix Crossland (2024), Simi Sasagi (2024), Tyson Gamble (2024), Tyson Frizell (2023), Lachlan Miller (2025)

Development gamers: Chris Vea’ila (2023), Kobe Rugless (2023), Miles Martin (2023), Tavita Toloi (2023)

2023 positive aspects: Adam Elliott (Raiders), Jack Hetherington (Bulldogs), Tyson Gamble (Broncos), Jackson Hastings (Wests Tigers), Greg Marzhew (Titans)

2023 losses: Mitchell Barnett (Warriors), Edrick Lee (Dolphins), Jirah Momoisea (Eels), Tex Hoy (Hull FC), Anthony Milford (Dolphins), Sauaso Sue (Hull KR), Pasami Saulo (Raiders), Jake Clifford (Hull FC), David Klemmer (Wests Tigers), Chris Randall (Titans)

2024 positive aspects: Kai Pearce-Paul (Wigan), Will Pryce (Huddersfield), Lachlan Miller (Sharks)