Newcastle Knights star Kalyn Ponga focused on team results rather than personal milestones

THE spotlight isn’t something Kalyn Ponga seeks, so talk around him being the Knights star being frontrunner for the Dally M Medal hasn’t really registered with the young fullback.

Kalyn Ponga is among the favourites for the Dally M Medal.

THE spotlight isn’t something Kalyn Ponga seeks, so talk around him being the frontrunner for the Dally M Medal hasn’t really registered with the young fullback.

Ponga has had a standout first full season for Newcastle, which earned him an Origin call-up at 20 years old and has made him a household name after just 27 NRL appearances.

With four weeks to go in Dally M polling Ponga is among the favourites to claim one of the game’s highest individual honours - but he isn’t caught up in the hype.

Kalyn Ponga is among the favourites for the Dally M Medal.

“I just want to win every game, not really win that (Dally M), you know what I mean,” Ponga said.

“My focus is as a team and winning games, rather than winning those individual accolades.

“If you’re looking at that, you’re sort of playing selfish and I don’t want to be that sort of player. I’d rather win games.”

The Knights have one of the toughest final runs in the competition, playing four top eight teams in the remaining four rounds.

They fly to Auckland on Wednesday before facing the Warriors on Friday night, then have the Panthers and Sharks on the road before finishing at home against the Dragons.

Newcastle are focused solely on getting wins, but they will have to do so with a disrupted spine again.

Five-eighth Connor Watson won’t be named in this week’s team because of an ongoing groin injury while halfback Mitchell Pearce missed Monday’s training session because of a cork he received in last Friday’s loss to Wests Tigers.

Coach Nathan Brown was confident Pearce would be right to take the field though, a relief for Ponga who credits Pearce’s presence for lifting his game.

“One hundred per cent, not only mine, but everyone’s,” Ponga said.

“He’s one of those players who even at training, he just somehow has a knack of making other people better.

Kalyn Ponga and Mitchell Pearce have become good friends.

“That’s a true credit to how good he is, to make other people look better.

“I want him on the field.”

Pearce and Ponga have become close since moving to the Knights in 2018.

A close-knit playing group that spends time together away from footy as well, Ponga has been learning from his halfback’s experience at every opportunity.

Pearce said recently that his constant talk about football might be a bit much for the laidback Ponga (“I torture him with it”), however the youngster knows the value in watching, listening and learning.

“The way he carries himself is pretty good to watch,” Ponga said.

“I think early on I didn’t know how to take him, he’s a different character, but he’s had a lot of influence on myself and definitely the other boys.

“I like to pick his brain every now and then.

“Early on it was all footy, footy, footy, but I do enjoy it. He’s a very smart football player.

“If I want to get better I need to pick his brain, not only in footy, but he talks about wellbeing and health and all that stuff as well.”

Originally published as Newcastle Knights star Kalyn Ponga focused on team results rather than personal milestones