NRL 2022: Newcastle coach Adam O’Brien denies Kalyn Ponga has too much power at Knights
Newcastle coach Adam O’Brien insists superstar fullback Kalyn Ponga does not have too much power at the club and has vowed to inject a harder edge to stop the rot at the Knights.
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Adam O’Brien insists superstar skipper Kalyn Ponga does not have too much power at Newcastle as the embattled coach vowed to inject a harder edge to stop the rot at the strife-torn Knights.
O’Brien opened up to News Corp on the Ponga affair, his future and addressed the state of the Knights in the lead-up to Sunday’s clash against Canberra at McDonald Jones Stadium.
It has been a tumultuous fortnight for the Knights.
The club was rocked by the on-field verbal spat between David Klemmer and trainer Hayden Knowles, which preceded leaked vision of Ponga and Kurt Mann emerging from a pub toilet cubicle in Newcastle on the night of their loss to the Broncos last Saturday night.
Ponga and Mann have since been drug tested by the NRL as the integrity unit continues its investigation to determine whether the Newcastle duo are guilty of any wrongdoing.
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Amid that backdrop, O’Brien has been buffeted by criticisms of his star player’s attitude, the club’s wider collective culture and whether Craig Bellamy’s former assistant at Melbourne has the skill set to haul the Knights out of trouble.
“At the end of the day, the buck stops with me,” O’Brien said.
“I need to drive tougher standards and get the guys to where I need them to get to.
“It’s not ideal when you see a great club like this being dragged through the mud.
“We’re all hurting.”
PONGA POWER
There is a view Ponga and his father Andre have too much clout at the Knights. It was reinforced when Ponga Snr was front-and-centre at a press conference in April as the Knights announced a five-year, $6 million extension for his Queensland Origin star son.
But O’Brien scoffed at suggestions his captain runs Newcastle.
“In terms of Kalyn having too much say in this club, it’s the opposite actually,” he said.
“It’s my job to develop Kalyn and make sure he has more of a voice in the team as the captain.
“I gave him the captaincy and I need to help him along the way, not cut his legs off every time he doesn’t speak up or makes an error — that responsibility starts with me.
“His role in meetings is getting better and better and I still believe Kalyn is the right person with ‘Brails’ (Jayden Brailey) to play that part.”
CARE FACTOR
Ponga has become one of the most polarising figures in the code. He was sensational for Queensland in this year’s epic Origin series win but his club form for the past two years has been patchy and riddled with injury.
The sight of Ponga drinking alcohol at a time when he has suffered three concussions in six weeks — ending his season — has triggered savage condemnation over his commitment to the club.
There have been calls for his sacking as captain. While disappointed in Ponga for his role in the toilet-cubicle saga, O’Brien is adamant the 24-year-old cares about his football at the Knights.
“I can’t speak specifically about the incident because the NRL integrity unit is investigating it, but naturally I’m disappointed,” O’Brien said.
“The thing I am disappointed about is it’s been a tough year and we’ve had to stand down two other players (Enari Tuala and Bradman Best) for being late to the team bus. It’s not needed at the moment.
“I want to speak about Kalyn as a person and his commitment to this club. I get that he is a marquee player and with that comes a level of scrutiny around our performances.
“There has been a lot of commentary around his performances, but in Origin he did a great job and he has played some very good games for us in a challenging season.
“Kalyn is a humble young man and I know he cares, 100 per cent. I see it in his training. I know it might come across that Kalyn might not care because of his relaxed nature and the way he speaks, but behind the scenes I see the way he acts.
“We haven’t seen the best of his footy, that is well and truly in front of him and he is developing in a lot of areas that don’t always get shown in 80-minute games.
“It’s clearly on me and the club to help him develop as a leader. Young people have moments of poor judgement. Just because you have ‘Captain’ beside your name, it doesn’t mean Kalyn has grown in maturity 20 years.
“I am yet to meet the perfect human.”
THE COACH
O’Brien admits he has been taken aback by assessments of his personality. Some volatile outbursts have raised eyebrows and the 44-year-old says Newcastle’s slide into the cellar, after two finals campaigns, has triggered introspection.
Amid rumblings over his future in Newcastle, O’Brien is adamant he can reignite the club as a finals force.
“The thing I am disappointed in myself about is that I allowed commentary around my nature to soften me in some areas,” he said.
“I need to go back to myself a bit. I need to be who I am and be consistent with it and not chop and change, so the players don’t know what kind of coach they will get each day.
“When it’s time to wield a heavy stick or be direct on standards, I need to do that. But at the same time you need empathy and care for them. Ultimately, as a coach you have to motivate behaviour. Sometimes it’s a firmer hand and at other times it’s a cuddle.
“I am trying to develop as a young coach and I relaxed a bit, maybe because of comments around my personality.
“I relaxed on too many standards and if there are issues during the week in training, it will come out in your football somewhere.
“I believe I’m the guy to turn this club around. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be here today.”
THE CULTURE
O’Brien addressed suggestions he may have lost the dressing room and that the Knights have lost the blue-collar mentality that gave the club its premiership soul.
“I am confident the players are on board,” he said.
“I have seen enough in my relationships to know there have been some spirited performances during the season, but day to day you can tell if you have them or not. That isn’t something that keeps me lying awake at night, I don’t believe I have lost them.
“I know I have a group of players who truly care. I’m not shying away from the fact I’m not happy with our season and culture will play a part in our performances.
“There are standards that sit squarely with me that I need to drive.
“The No. 1 thing I need to make sure is we nail our pre-season. I wasn’t overly happy with our last pre-season, that sits with me, but I love being at this club and I don’t want to run away from this, I want to run to it and make sure we come out the other side.
“It will be worth it in the long run and it’s something worth waiting for.”
LUKE BROOKS
Newcastle’s scrumbase depth is skinny and it will be further eroded by Anthony Milford’s departure to the Dolphins next season. The Knights have been linked with Luke Brooks and O’Brien is open to signing the Tigers halfback.
“The one thing I will say is the teams that have done well this year have experienced sevens and have had minimal changes to their spine,” he said.
“Someone of Brooks’ experience would certainly add to us.
“Where we are at with him I’m not sure, but the halves is an area we need to strengthen. The guys that are looking after recruitment would be keeping a close eye on where we can make movement in that area.”
THE FUTURE
O’Bien said the appointment of former Cowboys premiership-winner Peter Parr as football boss is a key plank in Newcastle’s fightback.
“Peter Parr will be huge for this place and I have guys like Danny Buderus and Andrew Johns who are club legends,” O’Brien said.
“It hasn’t been a great start for Peter, especially with the death of his good mate ‘Greeny’ (former Cowboys coach Paul Green), but he has been strong and unwavering for us already. His few addresses to the team have been on-point and having him in the building will allow myself and Danny to prosper.
“You can grow from going through some tough times, but you need to make the correct decisions and I have some ideas around that.
“We need to give our fans a reason to come back to us next year, so we have to finish the season well. The fabric of the Knights is still there. There are people in and around the town who are prepared to get their hands dirty to get in and help.
“I am confident we can be that great Newcastle team again, but at the moment it’s just words and a pipedream. It’s up to us to make that happen now.”
‘Disrespectful’: Johns unloads on under-fire Knights
-Fatima Kdouh
Newcastle legend Andrew Johns has slammed “disrespectful” Knights players after a string of incidents including captain Kalyn Ponga and Kurt Mann’s ejection from a toilet cubicle.
The struggling Knights were thrown into further turmoil after a video of the skipper and Mann being asked to leave a toilet cubicle surfaced earlier this week.
It was then revealed Bradman Best and Enari Tuala had been stood down for failing to meet team standards after arriving six minutes late for the team bus in Brisbane.
“The one for me is Bradman Best and (Enari) Tuala missing the bus, it’s the biggest no, no. You cannot be late for training, you can not be late for a meeting, it’s disrespectful to your teammates, to your club,” Johns said on On Channel 9’s Freddy and The Eighth.
“If you want to get on the drink, fill your boots but turn up. Whether it’s recovery at a pool or training or you’re getting on the bus to go home you can’t be late.”
While Johns conceded the Ponga video was a terrible look, he said the incident would pose as a stark reality check of living in the ‘fishbowl’ that is the Steel City.
Ponga is viewed as a franchise player and the key to delivering the Knights another premiership. But Johns said that meant the eyes of an entire city were constantly watching the 24-year old.
“(It’s) not a good look, the team is playing away and the captain is out on the drink,” Johns said.
The NRL integrity unit is investigating the cubical incident and both Ponga and Mann were subjected to drug testing on Tuesday. The results of the testing will remain confidential.
There are now questions regarding Ponga’s leadership qualities and there are calls to strip him of the captain’s armband given he was out drinking while his team away playing in Brisbane.
But Johns backed Ponga, with the help of new director of football Peter Parr, to rise to the challenge of leading the club.
“Those questions are warranted,” Johns said.
“(But) I think he does (need the captaincy). He’s their best player. When Johnathan Thurston first went to the Cowboys, there were some rough edges and some ups and downs when he first got the captaincy but Parr said he mentored him during that time and we all know the captain, the player and the leadership qualities of Johnathan Thurston.
“Hopefully with that sort of influence, Kalyn can be that sort of captain.”
Johns was the toast of Newcastle during his time at the Knights, as he helped guide the club to premierships in 1997 and 2001.
But the Immortal’s time at Newcastle was not without controversy and the former halfback has since admitted to struggling with alcohol and drug abuse during his stellar playing career.
“It’s hard for me to comment because I lived a colourful life … it makes me sad, not angry,” Johns said about the club losing its way.
Earlier this month, the club fielded more controversy when veteran forward David Klemmer was stood down following an altercation with trainer Hayden Knowles during Newcastle’s loss to Canterbury.
According to NSW Blues coach Brad Fittler, the continued controversy should raise concerns about the culture at the club and a void of experience in the football department.
“When you look there, there is not much experience there,” Fittler said.
“The staff, the assistant staff… Hayden Knowles has plenty of experience as a trainer. The coach (Adam O’Brien) is new, (Danny Buderus) Bedsy’s new… you need some experience around the joint.”
Hold fire: Why Ponga should stay Knights skipper
Comment by Brent Read
Sir Alex Ferguson, arguably the greatest manager in the history of any sporting code, had a saying about loyalty. Part of the way to extract the most out of people, Ferguson would say, was to show them loyalty when the rest of the world was baying for blood.
As the Newcastle Knights weigh up whether to strip Kalyn Ponga of the captaincy, the words of Sir Alex may be worth considering.
The rugby league world is seemingly baying for Ponga’s blood but the Knights have an opportunity to show their captain that they believe in him as a leader.
That out of a difficult time, they believe he will emerge a better captain and player. As easy as it may be, now is not the time to throw Ponga to the wolves.
If the Knights are to extract themselves from the mess they find themselves in, it will be Ponga who drags them out of it.
It’s why the club signed him to a mega-deal that stretches over five years. He is their best player. Their talisman. A genuine superstar with the ability to win games on his own.
He is worth every cent they pay him. Don’t take our word for it. Ask Wayne Bennett, who offered Ponga a mega deal to up stumps and move to the Dolphins. Bennett doesn’t usually get deals of that size wrong.
He clearly saw a superstar in Ponga as the pair sat down earlier this year when the Newcastle star was weighing up his future.
The meeting between Ponga and Bennett has been used as a brickbat to whack the Knights superstar over the head because he was challenged on how he wanted to be remembered.
Bennett suggested Ponga could stay in Newcastle and cruise. Or he could move to the Dolphins and challenge himself.
Ponga opted to stay in part to prove Bennett and the Dolphins wrong. As he told this reporter after signing his new deal, he believed Bennett had the wrong perception of the Knights.
Truth be told, he and his family were insulted to an extent by the comments. If not for themselves, than for the club that they love.
So Ponga stayed because he believed Newcastle was the best place to achieve his dreams. He had their back and now they need to have his.
As for claims he was concerned about leaving his comfort zone, consider this.
When Ponga made the decision to move from North Queensland to Newcastle, the Cowboys were a finals team and the Knights were running last.
If Ponga was afraid of leaving his comfort zone, he would still be in Townsville.
Moving out of his comfort zone has never been a problem.
Ponga no doubt understands he has made a mistake. He may not have breached any club rules but the optics weren’t great.
The Knights may yet have no choice but to sanction their skipper. If they do, the captaincy shouldn’t be part of the equation.
Ponga deserves to stay at the helm because he is the best man for the job — and he will only get better.
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Originally published as NRL 2022: Newcastle coach Adam O’Brien denies Kalyn Ponga has too much power at Knights
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