Has Kalyn Ponga played his last game for the 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?
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Sydney Morning Herald
18 minutes ago
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He was born in Meadowbank in Sydney's west and played junior footy for Mascot Jets. How is he any less of a New South Welshman than the others who wear the sky blue? Why can't the Sydney-born, Bronte-raised Victor Radley play for NSW if he chooses to honour his heritage and represent England instead of Australia? The Samoa-born Stephen Crichton represents NSW. The West Australia-born Kalyn Ponga dons the Maroons jersey. After all, they all fulfil the main Origin criteria, which is to have resided in NSW or QLD prior to their 13th birthday. No one wants to change that aspect of the eligibility, but the tiering system was designed for an era before the second generation of migrant families, who call Australia home but are proud of their ancestral roots, had such an impact on the game. If you go back two decades, the NSW Blues used 22 players in the 2005 State of Origin series. None of them were eligible to play for any regularly playing rugby league nation other than Australia. In this year's series, across NSW and Queensland, there were 15: Brian To'o, Stephen Crichton, Jarome Luai, Payne Haas, Spencer Leniu, Stefano Utoikamanu, Ponga, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Xavier Coates, Robert Toia, Valentine Holmes, Mo Fotuaika, Josh Papalii, Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Jermiah Nanai. Everything the NRL does over the summer needs to be done through the lens of what is best for international rugby league. There will be an argument that a player must choose which country he wants to represent at a young age and be held to that nation for the remainder of his career. That model, however, is to the detriment of the international game. Take Isaiya Katoa for example. He has the cultural ties to play for Tonga, New Zealand and Australia. If he was forced to choose Australia when he entered the NRL, he would have been waiting years to get in front of the likes of Nathan Cleary, Mitchell Moses and Daly Cherry-Evans. The international game, however, would be poorer for not having Katoa represent Tonga. To avoid that situation of having a plethora of quality players on the sidelines, allegiances should be tied to World Cup cycles. At the end of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup, each player must elect who they intend to represent over the next four years culminating in the 2030 World Cup. Turn it into a television event. Have people on stage opening an envelope announcing that in 2027, Ponga will be taking his talents to New Zealand for the next four years. Give the nations an incentive to go out and find third-party agreements with prospective corporate partners looking to aid the country's hopes of convincing a player to represent their nation over others they may also be eligible for. It's the best way to try and minimise the discrepancy between the $30,000 Origin match payments and the $3000 players receive for Test matches, a move designed to make international football the pinnacle of the sport. Forcing players to stick with their country of choice also doesn't allow for father time. Petero Civoniceva was a mainstay in the Australian team for a decade, playing 45 games for the Kangaroos. It would be doing the international game a disservice to deny him the chance to represent Fiji in the latter stages of his career when he wasn't playing at a standard that warranted selection in the Australian team, all because he made a decision to represent Australia 15 years earlier. Why shouldn't Utoikamanu represent his Tongan father, his Samoan mother, his Australian-born children and his Kiwi ancestory if he chooses to do so. He just needs to wait every four years to change. Loading At the end of the World Cup, any player from Harold Matthews all the way up to the NRL needs to select who they want to represent for the next four years. It will then also provide a clear and competitive junior representative program that will allow under 17s, 19s and 21s international games for the younger players, rather than the schoolboy programs run at the moment. The legacy of the V'landys-Andrew Abdo regime in rugby league is cemented. They will be remembered for saving the game during the COVID-19 pandemic, the venture into America through the Las Vegas season openers and the expansion into Perth and Papua New Guinea. Now they could help transform rugby league into a genuine global sport by overhauling the outdated rules.
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He was born in Meadowbank in Sydney's west and played junior footy for Mascot Jets. How is he any less of a New South Welshman than the others who wear the sky blue? Why can't the Sydney-born, Bronte-raised Victor Radley play for NSW if he chooses to honour his heritage and represent England instead of Australia? The Samoa-born Stephen Crichton represents NSW. The West Australia-born Kalyn Ponga dons the Maroons jersey. After all, they all fulfil the main Origin criteria, which is to have resided in NSW or QLD prior to their 13th birthday. No one wants to change that aspect of the eligibility, but the tiering system was designed for an era before the second generation of migrant families, who call Australia home but are proud of their ancestral roots, had such an impact on the game. If you go back two decades, the NSW Blues used 22 players in the 2005 State of Origin series. None of them were eligible to play for any regularly playing rugby league nation other than Australia. In this year's series, across NSW and Queensland, there were 15: Brian To'o, Stephen Crichton, Jarome Luai, Payne Haas, Spencer Leniu, Stefano Utoikamanu, Ponga, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Xavier Coates, Robert Toia, Valentine Holmes, Mo Fotuaika, Josh Papalii, Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Jermiah Nanai. Everything the NRL does over the summer needs to be done through the lens of what is best for international rugby league. There will be an argument that a player must choose which country he wants to represent at a young age and be held to that nation for the remainder of his career. That model, however, is to the detriment of the international game. Take Isaiya Katoa for example. He has the cultural ties to play for Tonga, New Zealand and Australia. If he was forced to choose Australia when he entered the NRL, he would have been waiting years to get in front of the likes of Nathan Cleary, Mitchell Moses and Daly Cherry-Evans. The international game, however, would be poorer for not having Katoa represent Tonga. To avoid that situation of having a plethora of quality players on the sidelines, allegiances should be tied to World Cup cycles. At the end of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup, each player must elect who they intend to represent over the next four years culminating in the 2030 World Cup. Turn it into a television event. Have people on stage opening an envelope announcing that in 2027, Ponga will be taking his talents to New Zealand for the next four years. Give the nations an incentive to go out and find third-party agreements with prospective corporate partners looking to aid the country's hopes of convincing a player to represent their nation over others they may also be eligible for. It's the best way to try and minimise the discrepancy between the $30,000 Origin match payments and the $3000 players receive for Test matches, a move designed to make international football the pinnacle of the sport. Forcing players to stick with their country of choice also doesn't allow for father time. Petero Civoniceva was a mainstay in the Australian team for a decade, playing 45 games for the Kangaroos. It would be doing the international game a disservice to deny him the chance to represent Fiji in the latter stages of his career when he wasn't playing at a standard that warranted selection in the Australian team, all because he made a decision to represent Australia 15 years earlier. Why shouldn't Utoikamanu represent his Tongan father, his Samoan mother, his Australian-born children and his Kiwi ancestory if he chooses to do so. He just needs to wait every four years to change. Loading At the end of the World Cup, any player from Harold Matthews all the way up to the NRL needs to select who they want to represent for the next four years. It will then also provide a clear and competitive junior representative program that will allow under 17s, 19s and 21s international games for the younger players, rather than the schoolboy programs run at the moment. The legacy of the V'landys-Andrew Abdo regime in rugby league is cemented. They will be remembered for saving the game during the COVID-19 pandemic, the venture into America through the Las Vegas season openers and the expansion into Perth and Papua New Guinea. Now they could help transform rugby league into a genuine global sport by overhauling the outdated rules.
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- The Australian
Liverpool prepare £150m bid for Newcastle striker Alexander Isak
Alexander Isak has told Newcastle he wants to explore a move away from the club, talkSPORT understands. The Swede has not travelled with Eddie Howe's squad for their pre-season tour to Singapore amid continued speculation over his future. talkSPORT understands that Newcastle sources insist it's down to a thigh issue, despite a precautionary scan coming back clear. Isak has informed the Magpies that he wants to explore his options, but has stopped short of an official transfer request, as of yet. The club's hierarchy are aware of Isak's wish to consider his options this summer and isn't willing to commit to new terms, with his current contract running until 2028. The 25-year-old has attracted interest from Liverpool this summer while also being linked with a money-spinning move to Saudi Arabia. Alexander Isak has reportedly told Newcastle he wants out. Picture: Paul ELLIS / AFP Premier League champions Liverpool are prepared to pay a British transfer record fee for Isak, who is valued at £150 million [$307 million AUD] . The Reds have signed one striker already after confirming the arrival of Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt in a deal worth up to £79m [$160 million AUD]. However, Liverpool remains an active suitor for Isak, whether now or in future transfer windows, with Newcastle's preference still to keep. talkSPORT understands that if the Tyneside outfit's hand is forced, then they would rather do a deal to send their prized asset to Saudi Arabia rather than a Premier League rival. Al Hilal are currently preparing a bid understood to be over £130m [$260 million AUD] for the 52-cap Sweden international. Isak was left out of Newcastle's pre-season clash at Celtic on Saturday, with boss Howe admitting he wanted to remove him from 'scrutiny' over speculation he may leave the club. Chelsea are preparing a bid for Leipzig and Netherlands star Xavi Simons. Picture: INA FASSBENDER / AFP Chelsea prepare Xavi Simons bid – but face major hijack risk Chelsea are set to make an opening bid to sign RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons, talkSPORT understands. Simons is close to agreeing personal terms, but is also talking to other clubs with Bayern Munich and Arsenal keen as well. The 22-year-old is prioritising a move to the Premier League as it stands and could be available for under £60 million. That's despite Leipzig agreeing an £70 million fee with PSG in January. The breakdown of that package was £44 million guaranteed with a further £26 million in add-ons. A large proportion of the bonuses haven't been paid yet, which is why Leipzig are prepared to sanction a sale closer to Simons' current market value. Manchester United have expressed interest in Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins. Picture: AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth Man United enter fresh talks over Villa star Manchester United have made fresh contact with Aston Villa for Ollie Watkins, talkSPORT understands. The Red Devils have identified Watkins as a target in their search for a new number nine, but any move is likely to depend on selling players first. Villa, who have also shown interest in United's Alejandro Garnacho, value England international Watkins at £60 million. The 29-year-old scored 50 Premier League goals across the last three seasons and was linked with a shock January move to Arsenal. Ruben Amorim's side have already spent over £125m ahead of the new season, but are pushing ahead in their pursuit of a new striker.
