NRL finals 2023: Ben Te'o believes Raiders must ‘reaggravate’ Kalyn Ponga injury to win

Ex-NRL enforcer Ben Te’o has declared the Raiders must risk of giving away penalties to ‘reaggravate’ Kalyn Ponga’s shoulder injury and keep their finals dream alive.

Jack Wighton urged to target Kalyn Ponga.

Former Rabbitohs enforcer Ben Te’o has declared the Raiders must “reaggravate” Kalyn Ponga’s shoulder injury even at the risk of giving away penalties.

Offering a dire warning for how Canberra must attack the Knights wounded star, Te’o and former NSW State of Origin centre Ryan Girdler declared Ponga must be tested at all costs.

The Knights fullback will play in today’s elimination final at McDonald Jones Stadium with the aid of pain killing injections and extra padding as he bravely battles a high-grade AC joint injury.

“I’d be doing everything I can to try, and I know it doesn’t sound nice, but try to reaggravate it,’’ Te’o said on Triple M radio.

“I’d definitely be going for it.

Kalyn Ponga will need pain killing injections to take the field against Canberra in their elimination final. Picture: Getty Images.

“We saw that shot that (Joseph) Tapine put on Reece Walsh recently (two weeks ago), you’d be going for those types of shots.

“You’d probably be risking a couple of late shots on Ponga to try and put him off his game. It’s just the way it is.

“When he gets hit on the side of his shoulder and it compresses his arm into his chest, that’s the one that is going to do the hurt.

“They (Raiders players) will be arguing who gets to do it.

“It’s an elimination final, it’s all or nothing.

“You find a chink in the armour and for someone who is so influential, if you can rattle him and have him thinking about his shoulder, you’re in a good space.’’

Girdler concurred with Te’o’s physical examination of Ponga.

Ex-NRL enforcer believes the Raiders must aggravate Ponga’s shoulder injury to beat Newcastle. Picture: AAP.

“It will be Jack Wighton (putting pressure on) at left centre,’’ Girdler told Triple M.

“If I’m Jamal Fogarty I’d bomb him (Ponga) and let Jack go down, because he’s just one of the most physical players in the competition and just let it happen naturally.

“Because it’s going to get tested.

“If he’s out of the back of shape and he’s offloading the footy, you would give a penalty away to reaggravate the situation.’’

Te’o added that the Knights had no choice but to play Ponga.

“I just don’t think you can risk going into that game without him, in terms of the momentum and the confidence he’s going to bring,’’ he said.

“I’d be going into this game with my best player, even if he is 70 per cent.’’

Ponga’s ability to push the pain and pressure aside for the Knights will be pivotal for a Newcastle side riding on the wave of momentum.

However, Knights coach Adam O’Brien has confirmed he held significant fears for the star full-back’s playing future.

Teo’ has identified Raiders star Jack Wighton as the man to shut down Ponga. Picture: Getty Images.

The Knights coach watched on as Ponga – who had a history of concussions – suffered another head knock in round two. Again another season which threatened to be derailed by the potential loss of the game’s highest paid player.

“I was really concerned for him,” O’Brien said. “If you’re being brutally honest you are also concerned for the club’s season but I have deep concern for him as a human being.

“I knew what the right thing for him to do was to go to Canada. He needed to get answers as a son, brother and footy player. There was massive relief when he came back with the news that he was good and healthy.

“Even if he came back and said he was healthy but didn’t want to play, you’d have to respect that. He was a young man with his whole life ahead of him.”

Knights coach Adam O’Brien reveals he held serious fears over Ponga’s playing future as he battled with concussion. Pictur: Getty Images.

With Ponga given the all clear to return off the bench in round eight the Knights continued with the experiment of playing him at five-eighth.

Eventually by round 13 he switched to his more accustomed no. 1 jersey and has been a cornerstone of Newcastle’s revival by producing career-best form.

“Regardless of Kalyn’s head-knocks I was thinking about putting him back to fullback,” O’Brien said.

“Lachie Miller had done an amazing job starting the year at fullback but it was the most consecutive games he had put together in his life and he was starting to dip in form.

“We also wanted to get Tyson Gamble in. He is just a good competitor and we thought getting your best 13 into the starting side included Tyson.”

Originally published as NRL finals 2023: Ben Te'o believes Raiders must ‘reaggravate’ Kalyn Ponga injury to win