NRL 2022: Kalyn Ponga toilet incident highlights Newcastle Knights leadership crisis, Phil Rothfield

What kind of message does it send when the skipper is out drinking while the team is being hammered by the Broncos? Ponga should be stripped of the captaincy, writes PHIL ROTHFIELD.

The Knights have a leadership crisis and Kalyn Ponga should be stripped of the captaincy, writes Phil Rothfield. Picture: Getty Images.

What more can go wrong for the Newcastle Knights?

Their million-dollar superstar is out for the rest of the season after a series of head knocks.

You’d expect Kalyn Ponga, No.4 on the NRL Rich 100 with a salary of $1.1 million, would be taking great care of himself.

Ponga’s father Andre says his son was out celebrating a house purchase.

On the drink on Saturday night while his teammates were getting belted up by the Broncos.

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This is the captain of the club – and a shocking look around team culture.

If the skipper is out on the drink while the team is playing what message is this sending to others?

The Knights have a leadership crisis and Kalyn Ponga should be stripped of the captaincy, writes Phil Rothfield. Picture: Getty Images.

This is an incident serious enough to question Ponga’s right to be captain of the club.

He is certainly not behaving like a leader.

Newcastle have had some proud leaders over the years.

Men like Paul Harragon, Danny Buderus and Michael Hagan.

What are their members and fans going to think of Ponga?

Here is a guy who earns more than $21,000 per week.

He would earn in a month what many Knights fans would earn in a year.

Ponga often cops a hard time from Knights supporters. He played only 15 games last year and 14 this season because of injuries.

That he was out drinking on Saturday night would indicate he is not looking after himself in a professional manner.

The Knights had many great captains in the past, like Paul Harragon, but their current skipper is not behaving like a leader.

The Knights have hired Peter Parr as their new director of football.

He faces an enormous task.

This club dealt with the David Klemmer fiasco last week and now Ponga.

These are the two most senior players in the club.

The man you feel sorry for is coach Adam O’Brien.

He has a tough enough job trying to win footy games without his senior players attracting headlines for all the wrong reasons.