Rising Knights star Kalyn Ponga determined to face Sharks on Sunday despite ankle injury
KNIGHTS coach Nathan Brown said given Kalyn Ponga had played the past month on his injured ankle, he wouldn’t sit him in an attempt to protect him. But that doesn’t mean he’ll face the Sharks on Sunday.
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IF Kalyn Ponga’s injured ankle can handle two more NRL games, then two more NRL games he will play.
Newcastle coach Nathan Brown said given his star fullback had played the past month on his injured ankle, he wouldn’t sit Ponga out for the final two games in an attempt to protect him.
Ponga was put in a boot on Tuesday afternoon to try to speed the healing process on ankle ligament damage suffered at training a month ago.
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The Knights will give him until Saturday to prove his fitness for Sunday’s clash against Cronulla.
“We’re happy for him to play because the kid wants to play and the fact he can play with injury is a good sign for all of us,” Brown said.
“But it is important we maintain his body because at the end of the day we’re not going to be playing finals football, so the risk and reward comes into it. We wanted to rest him last week but he really pushed hard to play, which is a good sign.
“We let him play then the specialist said he has to go in the boot for at least a few days to see how it settles. Sometimes people settle quickly and if that’s the case we may get another game out of him and if not we won’t. We’re certainly not going to risk him for nothing.”
Given all that, Brown said Ponga was still “unlikely” for Sunday but confirmed Connor Watson would return from a groin injury that has had him sidelined for three weeks.
Should Ponga recover in time, though, he will remain in the halves.
He started there last week when the Knights defeated Penrith 20-12. The move was to lighten the running load on Ponga but could be a permanent move if he wants it.
“If that works out they can play together (this weekend), I’m certainly not going to move ‘KP’ now because he’s done no running for seven or eight week apart from playing,” Brown said.
“If KP were to play another game we’ll definitely keep him in the halves.
“In terms of next year, we’ll do a review at the end of the year and sit down with each of them and have a chat and see where it takes us.”
Ponga is one of the competition’s most talked about players and it hit fever pitch this week following an interview with New Zealand television in which he talked about playing for the All Blacks being a pinnacle achievement.
Brown was unconcerned by the comments and confident of where his young player’s loyalties lie.
“The only bit I really listened to was the fact that he’s got a lot to achieve with the Knights,” he said.
“That’s being a little selfish, but that’s the main thing for me. At the end of the day it was a hypothetical question, one that he didn’t come out and say he wants to do this or wants to do that.
“The main thing for us is he’s here now and here for at least another three or four years. He loves being here and wants to achieve a lot with the Knights and rugby league and that’s the main thing.”