Has Kalyn Ponga played his last game for the Knights?

The Advertiser

15-07-2025

You have to wonder whether Kalyn Ponga has played his last game for the Newcastle Knights.
Almost eight years after the teenage superstar joined Newcastle, Ponga's career appears at a crossroads.
Speculation about his future is growing after the latest reports linking him with a New Zealand-based rugby union agent.
It comes amid suggestions Knights coach Adam O'Brien could be moved on at season's end.
Is Ponga exploring his options, or is it just further conjecture about his place in the game?
Right through Ponga's Knights career, it feels like there has been speculation linking him to rugby union. In recent years, it has been the whispers about him going to the Sydney Roosters.
Ponga's father, Andre, openly admitted last month he had fielded renewed approaches from the 15-man game.
"The interest is from overseas rugby, but it's not a conversation we are worrying about right now," Andre told News Limited. "He doesn't want to be rushed into a decision two years out.
"I know he wants a premiership for the Knights. The results don't show it but he is always optimistic.
"I guess it's a matter of the future. Kalyn is halfway through his tenure now and the Knights have some really talented kids coming through. It's probably one to ask in another 12 months' time, realistically."
How do comments like these help the Knights?
Is it borderline disrespectful to the club and its fans given Ponga has more than two full years remaining at the club?
Let's not forget Ponga is Newcastle's captain.
As the highest-paid player in the game, and one of its most marketable, Ponga is always going to attract plenty of media attention.
But how founded is the regular speculation about his future?
Maybe it's simply because he is such a big fish.
Or maybe it's because it was such a surprise Newcastle landed him in the first place (amid three wooden spoons), and given how talented he is, many are surprised he has stayed as long as he has.
Part of the problem is that Ponga and the Knights rarely come out and shut such talk down.
Asked at a post-match press conference in round two if he was unsettled at the club after reports suggesting as much that week, Ponga responded: "How did I play? How did I look out there? I look happy don't I?"
Asked afterwards if the speculation bothers him, he said: "It's all part of the game, I understand it. I'm used to it. It's been a big part of my career for so long. But again, it's not something that I worry about."
Newcastle have won six of 17 games this season, and are bound to miss the finals. As skipper, Ponga should be unhappy about that.
But in his eighth season at Newcastle and with the club having never gone further than week two of the play-offs, he could be forgiven for pondering his future.
At 27, if he is now more towards the end of his career than the start. And Newcastle appear no closer to a premiership than when he arrived in 2018.
"He's at an age where if he is going to pounce on rugby union, and he wants to play All Blacks, harsh to say for rugby league, but it's probably not far around the corner," Mitchell Pearce, who was halfback in Ponga's first four seasons at the Knights, said last month.
Ponga has produced some magical performances for Newcastle. He inspired their miracle run to the 2023 finals series, has stepped, sprinted and dazzled on the field, and almost single-handlely won games for the club.
Who could forget his bravery to play on with a buster shoulder in the 2023 finals?
"When he is playing well, he is such a joy to watch," Mat Rogers, speaking on SEN Radio, said of Ponga on Monday. "But jeez he must be getting frustrated. It's been a bit of a one-man band."
It has been mostly hard to fault Ponga's effort in the red and blue.
But plenty of fans - and pundits - have questioned his form this season. Comments like "disinterested" have been levelled at the fullback.
As a player earning more than $1.3 million per year, does Ponga produce consistently enough for the Knights?
Newcastle officials might now understandably be asking themselves that question.
Through no fault of his own, Ponga has missed at least a third of the season in three of his eight Knights campaigns.
Injuries and concussions have hampered his past five years. Is he value for money?
MORE NEWCASTLE SPORT
The Knights have a genuine home-grown star in Fletcher Sharpe who already deputises for Ponga.
Sharpe shifted to five-eighth this year to ensure he was as close to the ball as possible, but plenty of good judges insist he is more suited to fullback.
The 21-year-old has scored 22 tries in 26 NRL games.
If Ponga does decide he wants to move on, and the Knights feel it is best to let him go, Sharpe shapes as a pretty handy replacement - and less expensive one.
Newcastle have also signed Eels five-eighth Dylan Brown on a monster 10-year, $13 million deal.
Can they accommodate both Brown and Ponga in their salary cap, and still have enough quality across the rest of their 30-man roster?
Given his price tag, it's unlikely Ponga would score an immediate move to another NRL club unless he took a hefty pay cut.
Incoming expansion franchise the Perth Bears could be an option for 2027, given Ponga's marketability having been born in Western Australia, but overseas rugby union appears the most profitable move.
"I think he'd make a great rugby union player," Rogers, a dual-international who represented Australia in both codes, said.
When Ponga arrived in late 2017 from his debut club North Queensland, he felt like a saviour for the struggling Knights.
If the NRL had a draft, he surely would have been the No.1 pick coming through. But if he leaves after this season, how much of a loss would it be?
Newcastle's winning percentage with - and without him - is about even since the start of the 2018 season.
There is no doubt he is a generational talent, but there are doubts about whether it is working for both parties now.
Essentially ruled out for the year following a Lisfranc injury last month, given what's transpiring at the Knights, will Ponga ever wear the red and blue again?
You have to wonder whether Kalyn Ponga has played his last game for the Newcastle Knights.
Almost eight years after the teenage superstar joined Newcastle, Ponga's career appears at a crossroads.
Speculation about his future is growing after the latest reports linking him with a New Zealand-based rugby union agent.
It comes amid suggestions Knights coach Adam O'Brien could be moved on at season's end.
Is Ponga exploring his options, or is it just further conjecture about his place in the game?
Right through Ponga's Knights career, it feels like there has been speculation linking him to rugby union. In recent years, it has been the whispers about him going to the Sydney Roosters.
Ponga's father, Andre, openly admitted last month he had fielded renewed approaches from the 15-man game.
"The interest is from overseas rugby, but it's not a conversation we are worrying about right now," Andre told News Limited. "He doesn't want to be rushed into a decision two years out.
"I know he wants a premiership for the Knights. The results don't show it but he is always optimistic.
"I guess it's a matter of the future. Kalyn is halfway through his tenure now and the Knights have some really talented kids coming through. It's probably one to ask in another 12 months' time, realistically."
How do comments like these help the Knights?
Is it borderline disrespectful to the club and its fans given Ponga has more than two full years remaining at the club?
Let's not forget Ponga is Newcastle's captain.
As the highest-paid player in the game, and one of its most marketable, Ponga is always going to attract plenty of media attention.
But how founded is the regular speculation about his future?
Maybe it's simply because he is such a big fish.
Or maybe it's because it was such a surprise Newcastle landed him in the first place (amid three wooden spoons), and given how talented he is, many are surprised he has stayed as long as he has.
Part of the problem is that Ponga and the Knights rarely come out and shut such talk down.
Asked at a post-match press conference in round two if he was unsettled at the club after reports suggesting as much that week, Ponga responded: "How did I play? How did I look out there? I look happy don't I?"
Asked afterwards if the speculation bothers him, he said: "It's all part of the game, I understand it. I'm used to it. It's been a big part of my career for so long. But again, it's not something that I worry about."
Newcastle have won six of 17 games this season, and are bound to miss the finals. As skipper, Ponga should be unhappy about that.
But in his eighth season at Newcastle and with the club having never gone further than week two of the play-offs, he could be forgiven for pondering his future.
At 27, if he is now more towards the end of his career than the start. And Newcastle appear no closer to a premiership than when he arrived in 2018.
"He's at an age where if he is going to pounce on rugby union, and he wants to play All Blacks, harsh to say for rugby league, but it's probably not far around the corner," Mitchell Pearce, who was halfback in Ponga's first four seasons at the Knights, said last month.
Ponga has produced some magical performances for Newcastle. He inspired their miracle run to the 2023 finals series, has stepped, sprinted and dazzled on the field, and almost single-handlely won games for the club.
Who could forget his bravery to play on with a buster shoulder in the 2023 finals?
"When he is playing well, he is such a joy to watch," Mat Rogers, speaking on SEN Radio, said of Ponga on Monday. "But jeez he must be getting frustrated. It's been a bit of a one-man band."
It has been mostly hard to fault Ponga's effort in the red and blue.
But plenty of fans - and pundits - have questioned his form this season. Comments like "disinterested" have been levelled at the fullback.
As a player earning more than $1.3 million per year, does Ponga produce consistently enough for the Knights?
Newcastle officials might now understandably be asking themselves that question.
Through no fault of his own, Ponga has missed at least a third of the season in three of his eight Knights campaigns.
Injuries and concussions have hampered his past five years. Is he value for money?
MORE NEWCASTLE SPORT
The Knights have a genuine home-grown star in Fletcher Sharpe who already deputises for Ponga.
Sharpe shifted to five-eighth this year to ensure he was as close to the ball as possible, but plenty of good judges insist he is more suited to fullback.
The 21-year-old has scored 22 tries in 26 NRL games.
If Ponga does decide he wants to move on, and the Knights feel it is best to let him go, Sharpe shapes as a pretty handy replacement - and less expensive one.
Newcastle have also signed Eels five-eighth Dylan Brown on a monster 10-year, $13 million deal.
Can they accommodate both Brown and Ponga in their salary cap, and still have enough quality across the rest of their 30-man roster?
Given his price tag, it's unlikely Ponga would score an immediate move to another NRL club unless he took a hefty pay cut.
Incoming expansion franchise the Perth Bears could be an option for 2027, given Ponga's marketability having been born in Western Australia, but overseas rugby union appears the most profitable move.
"I think he'd make a great rugby union player," Rogers, a dual-international who represented Australia in both codes, said.
When Ponga arrived in late 2017 from his debut club North Queensland, he felt like a saviour for the struggling Knights.
If the NRL had a draft, he surely would have been the No.1 pick coming through. But if he leaves after this season, how much of a loss would it be?
Newcastle's winning percentage with - and without him - is about even since the start of the 2018 season.
There is no doubt he is a generational talent, but there are doubts about whether it is working for both parties now.
Essentially ruled out for the year following a Lisfranc injury last month, given what's transpiring at the Knights, will Ponga ever wear the red and blue again?
You have to wonder whether Kalyn Ponga has played his last game for the Newcastle Knights.
Almost eight years after the teenage superstar joined Newcastle, Ponga's career appears at a crossroads.
Speculation about his future is growing after the latest reports linking him with a New Zealand-based rugby union agent.
It comes amid suggestions Knights coach Adam O'Brien could be moved on at season's end.
Is Ponga exploring his options, or is it just further conjecture about his place in the game?
Right through Ponga's Knights career, it feels like there has been speculation linking him to rugby union. In recent years, it has been the whispers about him going to the Sydney Roosters.
Ponga's father, Andre, openly admitted last month he had fielded renewed approaches from the 15-man game.
"The interest is from overseas rugby, but it's not a conversation we are worrying about right now," Andre told News Limited. "He doesn't want to be rushed into a decision two years out.
"I know he wants a premiership for the Knights. The results don't show it but he is always optimistic.
"I guess it's a matter of the future. Kalyn is halfway through his tenure now and the Knights have some really talented kids coming through. It's probably one to ask in another 12 months' time, realistically."
How do comments like these help the Knights?
Is it borderline disrespectful to the club and its fans given Ponga has more than two full years remaining at the club?
Let's not forget Ponga is Newcastle's captain.
As the highest-paid player in the game, and one of its most marketable, Ponga is always going to attract plenty of media attention.
But how founded is the regular speculation about his future?
Maybe it's simply because he is such a big fish.
Or maybe it's because it was such a surprise Newcastle landed him in the first place (amid three wooden spoons), and given how talented he is, many are surprised he has stayed as long as he has.
Part of the problem is that Ponga and the Knights rarely come out and shut such talk down.
Asked at a post-match press conference in round two if he was unsettled at the club after reports suggesting as much that week, Ponga responded: "How did I play? How did I look out there? I look happy don't I?"
Asked afterwards if the speculation bothers him, he said: "It's all part of the game, I understand it. I'm used to it. It's been a big part of my career for so long. But again, it's not something that I worry about."
Newcastle have won six of 17 games this season, and are bound to miss the finals. As skipper, Ponga should be unhappy about that.
But in his eighth season at Newcastle and with the club having never gone further than week two of the play-offs, he could be forgiven for pondering his future.
At 27, if he is now more towards the end of his career than the start. And Newcastle appear no closer to a premiership than when he arrived in 2018.
"He's at an age where if he is going to pounce on rugby union, and he wants to play All Blacks, harsh to say for rugby league, but it's probably not far around the corner," Mitchell Pearce, who was halfback in Ponga's first four seasons at the Knights, said last month.
Ponga has produced some magical performances for Newcastle. He inspired their miracle run to the 2023 finals series, has stepped, sprinted and dazzled on the field, and almost single-handlely won games for the club.
Who could forget his bravery to play on with a buster shoulder in the 2023 finals?
"When he is playing well, he is such a joy to watch," Mat Rogers, speaking on SEN Radio, said of Ponga on Monday. "But jeez he must be getting frustrated. It's been a bit of a one-man band."
It has been mostly hard to fault Ponga's effort in the red and blue.
But plenty of fans - and pundits - have questioned his form this season. Comments like "disinterested" have been levelled at the fullback.
As a player earning more than $1.3 million per year, does Ponga produce consistently enough for the Knights?
Newcastle officials might now understandably be asking themselves that question.
Through no fault of his own, Ponga has missed at least a third of the season in three of his eight Knights campaigns.
Injuries and concussions have hampered his past five years. Is he value for money?
MORE NEWCASTLE SPORT
The Knights have a genuine home-grown star in Fletcher Sharpe who already deputises for Ponga.
Sharpe shifted to five-eighth this year to ensure he was as close to the ball as possible, but plenty of good judges insist he is more suited to fullback.
The 21-year-old has scored 22 tries in 26 NRL games.
If Ponga does decide he wants to move on, and the Knights feel it is best to let him go, Sharpe shapes as a pretty handy replacement - and less expensive one.
Newcastle have also signed Eels five-eighth Dylan Brown on a monster 10-year, $13 million deal.
Can they accommodate both Brown and Ponga in their salary cap, and still have enough quality across the rest of their 30-man roster?
Given his price tag, it's unlikely Ponga would score an immediate move to another NRL club unless he took a hefty pay cut.
Incoming expansion franchise the Perth Bears could be an option for 2027, given Ponga's marketability having been born in Western Australia, but overseas rugby union appears the most profitable move.
"I think he'd make a great rugby union player," Rogers, a dual-international who represented Australia in both codes, said.
When Ponga arrived in late 2017 from his debut club North Queensland, he felt like a saviour for the struggling Knights.
If the NRL had a draft, he surely would have been the No.1 pick coming through. But if he leaves after this season, how much of a loss would it be?
Newcastle's winning percentage with - and without him - is about even since the start of the 2018 season.
There is no doubt he is a generational talent, but there are doubts about whether it is working for both parties now.
Essentially ruled out for the year following a Lisfranc injury last month, given what's transpiring at the Knights, will Ponga ever wear the red and blue again?
You have to wonder whether Kalyn Ponga has played his last game for the Newcastle Knights.
Almost eight years after the teenage superstar joined Newcastle, Ponga's career appears at a crossroads.
Speculation about his future is growing after the latest reports linking him with a New Zealand-based rugby union agent.
It comes amid suggestions Knights coach Adam O'Brien could be moved on at season's end.
Is Ponga exploring his options, or is it just further conjecture about his place in the game?
Right through Ponga's Knights career, it feels like there has been speculation linking him to rugby union. In recent years, it has been the whispers about him going to the Sydney Roosters.
Ponga's father, Andre, openly admitted last month he had fielded renewed approaches from the 15-man game.
"The interest is from overseas rugby, but it's not a conversation we are worrying about right now," Andre told News Limited. "He doesn't want to be rushed into a decision two years out.
"I know he wants a premiership for the Knights. The results don't show it but he is always optimistic.
"I guess it's a matter of the future. Kalyn is halfway through his tenure now and the Knights have some really talented kids coming through. It's probably one to ask in another 12 months' time, realistically."
How do comments like these help the Knights?
Is it borderline disrespectful to the club and its fans given Ponga has more than two full years remaining at the club?
Let's not forget Ponga is Newcastle's captain.
As the highest-paid player in the game, and one of its most marketable, Ponga is always going to attract plenty of media attention.
But how founded is the regular speculation about his future?
Maybe it's simply because he is such a big fish.
Or maybe it's because it was such a surprise Newcastle landed him in the first place (amid three wooden spoons), and given how talented he is, many are surprised he has stayed as long as he has.
Part of the problem is that Ponga and the Knights rarely come out and shut such talk down.
Asked at a post-match press conference in round two if he was unsettled at the club after reports suggesting as much that week, Ponga responded: "How did I play? How did I look out there? I look happy don't I?"
Asked afterwards if the speculation bothers him, he said: "It's all part of the game, I understand it. I'm used to it. It's been a big part of my career for so long. But again, it's not something that I worry about."
Newcastle have won six of 17 games this season, and are bound to miss the finals. As skipper, Ponga should be unhappy about that.
But in his eighth season at Newcastle and with the club having never gone further than week two of the play-offs, he could be forgiven for pondering his future.
At 27, if he is now more towards the end of his career than the start. And Newcastle appear no closer to a premiership than when he arrived in 2018.
"He's at an age where if he is going to pounce on rugby union, and he wants to play All Blacks, harsh to say for rugby league, but it's probably not far around the corner," Mitchell Pearce, who was halfback in Ponga's first four seasons at the Knights, said last month.
Ponga has produced some magical performances for Newcastle. He inspired their miracle run to the 2023 finals series, has stepped, sprinted and dazzled on the field, and almost single-handlely won games for the club.
Who could forget his bravery to play on with a buster shoulder in the 2023 finals?
"When he is playing well, he is such a joy to watch," Mat Rogers, speaking on SEN Radio, said of Ponga on Monday. "But jeez he must be getting frustrated. It's been a bit of a one-man band."
It has been mostly hard to fault Ponga's effort in the red and blue.
But plenty of fans - and pundits - have questioned his form this season. Comments like "disinterested" have been levelled at the fullback.
As a player earning more than $1.3 million per year, does Ponga produce consistently enough for the Knights?
Newcastle officials might now understandably be asking themselves that question.
Through no fault of his own, Ponga has missed at least a third of the season in three of his eight Knights campaigns.
Injuries and concussions have hampered his past five years. Is he value for money?
MORE NEWCASTLE SPORT
The Knights have a genuine home-grown star in Fletcher Sharpe who already deputises for Ponga.
Sharpe shifted to five-eighth this year to ensure he was as close to the ball as possible, but plenty of good judges insist he is more suited to fullback.
The 21-year-old has scored 22 tries in 26 NRL games.
If Ponga does decide he wants to move on, and the Knights feel it is best to let him go, Sharpe shapes as a pretty handy replacement - and less expensive one.
Newcastle have also signed Eels five-eighth Dylan Brown on a monster 10-year, $13 million deal.
Can they accommodate both Brown and Ponga in their salary cap, and still have enough quality across the rest of their 30-man roster?
Given his price tag, it's unlikely Ponga would score an immediate move to another NRL club unless he took a hefty pay cut.
Incoming expansion franchise the Perth Bears could be an option for 2027, given Ponga's marketability having been born in Western Australia, but overseas rugby union appears the most profitable move.
"I think he'd make a great rugby union player," Rogers, a dual-international who represented Australia in both codes, said.
When Ponga arrived in late 2017 from his debut club North Queensland, he felt like a saviour for the struggling Knights.
If the NRL had a draft, he surely would have been the No.1 pick coming through. But if he leaves after this season, how much of a loss would it be?
Newcastle's winning percentage with - and without him - is about even since the start of the 2018 season.
There is no doubt he is a generational talent, but there are doubts about whether it is working for both parties now.
Essentially ruled out for the year following a Lisfranc injury last month, given what's transpiring at the Knights, will Ponga ever wear the red and blue again?