Cowboys have no intention of releasing Kalyn Ponga from the final year of his contract
THE Cowboys have informed Knights defector Kalyn Ponga they have no intention of releasing him from the final year of his contract despite Newcastle’s public plea.
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THE Cowboys have informed Knights defector Kalyn Ponga they have no intention of releasing him from the final year of his contract despite Newcastle’s public plea.
Ponga is regarded as one of the NRL’s hottest young talents.
He made his debut in last year’s finals series, playing two games as the Cowboys fell just short of back-to-back grand finals.
The Knights announced Ponga would be joining the club on a multi-million dollar four-year deal from 2018.
In the statement, Newcastle CEO Matt Gidley confirmed the wooden spooners were keen for Ponga to join them next season.
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“As it stands, we are excited about Kalyn joining us in 2018,” Gidley said.
“Should the Cowboys decide to release Kalyn before the conclusion of his contract, we would certainly welcome him to the club at an earlier date.”
However that is unlikely to happen. Not for now, at least.
The Cowboys want Ponga to play for them next year and at this stage have no plans to release the 18-year-old prodigy.
“At this point in time we have no intention of releasing Kalyn from his contract,” Cowboys football boss Peter Parr said.
“I had a discussion with Kalyn about it and informed him we won’t be releasing him at this stage.
“He accepted that and to his credit has been training really well.”
That does not mean Ponga will definitely play out his current contract at the Cowboys.
North Queensland does not have a history of releasing players early but if the Knights propose a suitable swap deal or arrangement, that could change.
Originally published as Cowboys have no intention of releasing Kalyn Ponga from the final year of his contract
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