Kalyn Ponga roars back to life as Newcastle bury North Queensland in 42-6 belting
Newcastle have given their finals hopes a serious boost and ended a long losing streak in style, putting North Queensland to the sword 42-6.
Newcastle’s hopes of playing in the finals still has a pulse after Kalyn Ponga and Mitchell Pearce produced masterclass performances in their 42-6 win against North Queensland at McDonald Jones Stadium.
The Knights scored seven tries to one to snap a six-game losing and move to within one win of the top eight.
Their only concern could be a knee injury to hooking utility Connor Watson, who said he felt a “pop” as he left the field in the second half and did not return.
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There’s been much talk surrounding the future of Ponga and whether he’s actually worth $1 million a season, but superstar fullback proved his value with a classy display on Saturday afternoon.
The Queensland representative looked dangerous every time he touched the ball and scored two stunning solo tries in the opening 40 minutes. He also ran for 98 metres and recorded six tackle-breaks, two line-breaks and a line-break assist.
Ponga wasn’t the only player to silence his critics as Pearce had his best since making his Origin return a couple months ago.
The star halfback also bagged two tries, to go with two line-breaks, a try assist and line-break assist.
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FINALS IN SIGHT
The 36-point triumph may have been just their first win in seven weeks, but Newcastle’s finals hopes are well and truly alive.
They’ve jumped to ninth on the ladder and will finish the round just one win outside the top eight.
Next week they face the injury-affected Wests Tigers at Campbelltown Stadium before they host the last-placed Titans on old boys’ day in Round 24.
Their hopes of playing in their first finals since 2013 could come down to the final game on the regular season when they travel to Penrith to face the Panthers.
MASSIVE LOSS
North Queensland will be desperate for Jason Taumalolo to be fit for next Friday’s clash against Penrith.
The hulking forward missed the clash in the Hunter due to a foot complaint and his absence was noticeable as the Cowboys forwards lost the battle in the middle.
Their big men lacked go-forward as no Cowboys forward managed to record over 100 metres, while retiring veteran ran for just 37 metres.
COWBOYS WOES CONTINUE
It’s been another season to forget for Paul Green and his Cowboys, and they’ll be counting down the days until their September holidays.
The loss against Newcastle was their 14th of the season and they’re in danger of slipping further down the ladder.
It’s been a campaign marred by injuries with the likes of Jason Taumalolo (foot), Ben Hampton (biceps), Te Maire Martin (head), Justin O’Neill (ruptured spleen), Mitch Dunn (shoulder) and Kurt Baptiste (ACL) sitting on the sidelines.
With three rounds left of the regular season, Green will be hoping to see his players show heart as they look towards 2020.
Young halfback Jake Clifford showed positive signs for the future as he scored his side’s only try of the match when he drifted across the field and darted through the defensive line.
GREY AREA
There was more controversy surrounding the interpretation of the obstruction rule during Newcastle’s win.
The Bunker was called upon several times throughout the afternoon and fans were left scratching their heads after a number of inconsistent decisions.
The most contentious decision came moments out from half-time when Jacob Saifiti looked to have scored his first try of the season when he crashed over the line.
However the Bunker denied the interchange prop of a rare try, ruling Mitch Barnett had caused an obstruction, despite staying on the mark where he had played the ball.
The controversial decision didn’t matter in the end as the Knights raced away with the comfortable victory.
NEWCASTLE 42 (M Pearce 2 K Ponga 2 M Barnett M Lino S Mata’utia tries M Lino 7 goals) bt NORTH QUEENSLAND 6 (J Clifford try J Kahu goal) at McDonald Jones Stadium. Referee: Phil Henderson, Grant Atkins. Crowd: 16,752
Originally published as Kalyn Ponga roars back to life as Newcastle bury North Queensland in 42-6 belting