Kalyn Ponga can spark Knights attack and help salary cap with switch to five-eighth

The Newcastle Knights attack is stuttering, their salary cap is out of shape, there’s one solution to both problems – Kalyn Ponga – a solution that has proven history of success, writes David Riccio.

Jack Wighton (L) and Cameron Munster (R) are two former fullbacks who moved into five-eighth.

Roosters coach Trent Robinson looked at Kalyn Ponga being helped from the field with another head knock eight-minutes into Friday night’s game and without muttering it publicly, knew the bus ride back down the F3 would be a smooth one.

“As soon as Kalyn went off, you knew that they were going to struggle with their creativity,’’ Robinson said post-match.

“It was tough to see. That really cost Newcastle.’’

It was Ponga’s third head knock in the past six weeks and he will undergo the necessary concussion protocols over the next seven days with every likelihood, he could be rested for a weekend or two.

Let him rest. Then a big call needs to be made in the Hunter.

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Jack Wighton (L) and Cameron Munster (R) are two former fullbacks who moved into five-eighth.

Anthony Milford’s decision to join Wayne Bennett at the Dolphins next season has left the Knights searching for a five-eighth.

The answer might be under their nose.

What the Knights have tried in the halves this season hasn’t worked. It’s not even close to premiership material.

The Knights (13th) will miss the finals after finishing seventh and seventh in the past two years.

Halves Jake Clifford, Adam Clune, Phoenix Crossland and Milford have all spent time trying to steer Newcastle around this season.

Ahead of this weekend’s matches, even the Bulldogs had scored more points.

It’s obvious now why the Knights spent last summer brooding over Wests Tigers halfback Luke Brooks.

Is Luke Brooks the answer for the Knights? Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

The Knights haven’t exactly hung up the phone on Brooks, but neither have they been smashing his phone with DMs.

That’s a good thing, because is paying Brooks upwards of $750,000 really the answer for the Knights anyway?

Perhaps the answer is right in front of them by moving Ponga from fullback to five-eighth.

It’s a similar transition already carved by former fullbacks and now playmakers Cameron Munster, Jack Wighton, Cody Walker, Nicho Hynes, Matt Moylan and Adam Doueihi.

We’ll soon be adding Joey Manu at the Roosters to the list.

Shifting Ponga solves two issues for the Knights and both have nothing to do with the sugar-boost he will give the Newcastle attack.

Both are related to salary cap and the structure of a roster.

As the Panthers have shown with Dylan Edwards, Cronulla with Will Kennedy, North Queensland with Scott Drinkwater and the Broncos with Tesi Niu, you don’t need to pay huge money for a top-four fullback.

None of the quartet are on more than $450,000. Ponga is running around waiting for the ball earning $1.1 million each season.

Opposition coaches watch video and have learned that Ponga’s downfall is his ability to set-up the Knights’ defensive-line from the back.

They also watch video and thank the lord, he’s often standing waiting for service of the footy from his halves and not the other way round.

Wouldn’t it be better cap management from the Knights to offer a player like Penrith flyer Charlie Staines $250,000 to play fullback and move money-man Ponga into the position that Darren Lockyer still holds the mantle of as the greatest fullback-turned-five-eighth?

Rather than pay $700K for another half the Knights could grab young winger Charlie Staines for less than half that amount. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

Club coaching staff will rightfully point out that Ponga’s role within the team structure is to play like a second five-eighth anyway, with the added benefit of not having to make twice as many tackles that a front-line defender would.

And also, by playing fullback, he can float into the attack on both sides of the field, as opposed to being locked-in on one side of the ruck, like he may be with the No. 6 on his back.

However, as the Sharks have shown with Hynes and Moylan, there’s no rule that says Ponga must stay on one side and one side of the field only.

While both have a home base on the right or left, Hynes and Moylan also interject, swap and roll across both sides of the field when they desire.

Ponga has previously played four club games at five-eighth under ex-coach Nathan Brown, one for the NRL All Stars and one more for the Junior Kangaroos in 2019.

Defending in the front line, Ponga was a target for the opposition. The edge backrowers ran with the intent of breaking the playmaker down with every carry sent his way.

That was three years ago. He had played less than 40 NRL games at the time.

He’s now 24 and only a couple of games away from etching 100 first grade games.

No doubt, the physical demands is an area that Ponga would need to work on in the gym. The head knocks are also an issue, but go ask Roosters pivot Luke Keary, a smaller man with a history of concussion, if it’s possible?

Knights coach Adam O’Brien isn’t a pig-headed coach.

Listen to the pain in his voice after Friday night. He’s all-in for Newcastle. He refuses to rule out any idea, plan or option that ultimately helps the club, team, individual or result.

Moving Ponga to six isn’t something he will rule out.