‘What in the f***’: Kalyn Ponga roasted by NRL stars over bizarre footage
Kalyn Ponga has been savagely roasted by his teammates and NRL players after some truly bizarre footage emerged of the Knights star.
Kalyn Ponga has been roasted by fellow NRL players after the Newcastle Knights star appeared in a bizarre new advertisement that left many scratching their heads.
Ponga returned to pre-season training at Newcastle on Monday but all eyes were on his Instagram account as he shared a bold new ad in collaboration with mayonnaise brand Hellman’s.
Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
Sporting a bedazzled white suit from Melbourne clothing label Reigner, the ad shows Ponga walking towards the camera before taking a seat, adjusting his bow tie and squirting some mayo from a secret nozzle around his neck onto a piece of chicken in front of him.
The caption on the post reads: “A bow tie that squirts mayo? Hell yeah, we went there.
“Turns out 1 in 5 Aussies admit to sneaking sauces into restaurants, so Hellmann’s has now made it easier.
“Enter the BYO BOW, a collaboration between Hellmann’s, REIGNER, and Kalyn Ponga. It’s the world’s first bow tie designed to let Aussies discreetly sneak Hellmann’s rich and creamy mayonnaise into the nation’s finest restaurants, elevating every dish.
“Bold. Sophisticated. Deliciously divisive. We call it covert condiment couture.”
It’s safe to say Ponga’s bow tie antics and the bizarre video, which you can watch above, took fans by surprise and left plenty of NRL stars in stitches in the comments.
Knights teammate and Ponga’s friend Mat Croker joked the superstar fullback must have been desperate for a big payday from a new sponsor on top of his lucrative NRL salary.
“Hope the $$ (money) was big lad,” Croker wrote with cry laughing emojis.
Gold Coast Titans star AJ Brimson joked: “Interest rates crazy atm (at the moment).”
Roosters star Angus Crichton said: “Hahahaha this is wild.”
Broncos forward Jordan Riki added: “Ayeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee” with a laughing emoji.
Former NRL player Jack Johns said: “What in the f***.”
Ponga is one of the NRL’s most marketable players with 371,000 followers on Instagram.
The 27-year-old recommitted to seeing out his contract with Newcastle, which runs to the end of 2027, after speculation earlier in the year he was set to defect to rugby union or rebel league R360.
According to Code Sports’ NRL rich list, Ponga earned $1.2 million in 2025, making him one of rugby league’s highest paid players along with Nathan Cleary, Mitchell Moses and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui.
He played just 13 games for the Knights in 2025, with his season ending when he suffered a lisfranc injury in round 17.
Newcastle went on to claim the wooden spoon as coach Adam O’Brien was sacked and replaced by Roosters assistant and former Titans coach Justin Holbrook.
Ponga and the Knights will be hoping for a much improved season in 2026 — forward Leo Thompson is leaving for the Bulldogs but the early signs from Dylan Brown in the Pacific Championships look promising after Newcastle signed him on a 10-year, $13 million deal.
Originally published as ‘What in the f***’: Kalyn Ponga roasted by NRL stars over bizarre footage
NRL Market Watch: Eels target Titans centre as cover for Lomax
