‘Does it make it harder to stay?’: Kalyn Ponga, Adam O’Brien walk out over journo’s question

Kalyn Ponga and Knights coach Adam O’Brien walked out of their press conference after being bombarded by questions about the star’s future.

It was the moment the pair decided to leave. Photo: NRL

Knights star Kalyn Ponga and coach Adam O’Brien walked out on their press conference after one question too many about the star fullback’s future.

Although Ponga is widely expected to stay in Newcastle, the 24-year-old has been courted strongly by the Dolphins as potentially the club’s first marquee signing.

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After simmering in the background since the Dolphins were revealed as the 17th NRL club, the issue came to the forefront of the NRL media last week.

A lunch meeting between Ponga, Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett and Dolphins powerbrokers came to light.

Last week, Knights legend and consultant Andrew Johns took aim at Bennett, claiming it was a brazen raid on the Queensland fullback.

But it was revealed this week that Ponga had reached out for the meeting with the Dolphins.

The Knights’ 30-6 loss to the Sea Eagles in Newcastle on Thursday night was the first time Ponga led the side out as captain at home but he said conceding 18 points in the final 11 minutes to blow out the score was not up to scratch.

However, the talk quickly turned from the result to Ponga’s future.

Asked how he was dealing with all the attention off the field, Ponga said: “I’m just trying to handle this on the field.”

Ponga tried hard but it was a tough night. Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

When pressed further, Ponga continued: “I don’t know if you noticed, but every time you ask me I don’t give you an answer, so stay patient, I’ve got people working on it. My focus is always here and you know that.”

Pushed once again for an answer about who instigated the meeting, Ponga said: “(The meeting with Bennett) obviously happened – but once it happened, I’ve moved on and worried about the game.”

Asked one more time about whether the contract saga had become a distraction, O’Brien stepped in.

“I can probably speak to that – it’s not a lunch date, he is meeting (with Wayne) and it’s his right, it’s in his contract, the contract that we wrote,” O’Brien said.

“I’m comfortable because I don’t see a dip in any of his preparation or his hunger at training – that hasn’t wavered. I’ve got a radar out for that stuff.

“And at the end of the day, I want him to make the best decision with all the information on the table and there’s no regrets. If he chooses to stay, he has made the choice with all the facts.

“I’m really comfortable with it either way and I know his teammates are. They are in similar situations and I know it’s not as high-profile at this stage of the year, but they all come off contract and they all negotiate and usually with more than one club.

“We’ll get the answer, he is worth waiting for from my perspective so tonight should be talking about that performance, which wasn’t great for us.”

One reporter then pushed it too far, asking that “with each loss, does it make it harder to stay here?”

Ponga just laughed awkwardly, while O’Brien shook his head and both men stood up and left the press conference.

It was the moment the pair decided to leave. Photo: NRL

It comes amid discussions about Ponga’s performances since he’s returned to the field.

He had another tough night against the Sea Eagles in awful conditions in Newcastle, scoring a try, running 14 times for 104m, but making two errors.

He also had a HIA in the first half but returned for the second half.