Ponga could start on Knights bench again: Adam O’Brien

Jasper Bruce | April 27, 2023

Newcastle will wait until the 11th hour to determine whether Kalyn Ponga starts at five-eighth in the round-nine clash with Parramatta, as the State of Origin star continues to ease back into the NRL following his latest head knock.

Ponga had his minutes restricted against North Queensland last week in his first game back after his fourth concussion in 10 months, with humid conditions prompting coach Adam O’Brien to take extra care with his marquee man.

Consultations with a concussion specialist in Canada cleared the Knights co-captain of serious injury but Newcastle continue to take a cautious approach with Ponga given his head-knock history. 

The club rested him for the final six weeks of last season following a concussion, and did the same when he went down in round two.

Ponga had been named to start for Friday’s clash at CommBank Stadium, setting up the prospect of a mouth-watering duel with Eels halfback Mitch Moses.

But Tyson Gamble could once again take his place in the starting side, despite O’Brien’s belief Ponga is nearly ready for an 80-minute performance.

“I’m more confident than I was last week,” O’Brien said.

“I’ll make the decision about an hour before kick-off.

“He’s trained really well and he’s better for the run (against the Cowboys) but I wasn’t completely unhappy with what we were doing last week, either, with Tyson Gamble. 

“He’s been great for us as well.”

Whether Ponga starts the game or begins on the bench, Parramatta are steeling themselves for a strong defensive performance against the Queensland State of Origin star.

Having played the first seven seasons of his career at fullback, Ponga switched to the defensive front-line this year, with Parramatta one of the first sides to face him as a five-eighth when the sides met in pre-season trials.

Coach Brad Arthur is taking little from the Eels’ 36-14 win in that match, urging his side to rise to the challenge.

“Trials don’t mean anything,” Arthur said.

“What happened in round one doesn’t mean anything, we’re in round nine now.

“We all know what (Ponga’s) strengths are. He’s very good with the ball, he’s fast, you can’t give him much time and space.

“I don’t know exactly how they plan to use him but I do know that we need to be very good defensively, keep a straight line against him and limit the opportunities, because he’s a very good player.”