Kalyn Ponga set to reject Wayne Bennett, sign monster new Knights deal

Knights superstar Kalyn Ponga is reportedly set to reject Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett and sign a monster new deal at Newcastle.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 01: Kalyn Ponga of the Knights reacts during the round four NRL match between the Cronulla Sharks and the Newcastle Knights at PointsBet Stadium on April 01, 2022, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

Knights superstar Kalyn Ponga is reportedly set to reject Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett and sign monster new deal at Newcastle.

The contract - worth between $1.1m and $1.2m a season - has not yet been finalised but could be announced as early as this week, according to The Daily Telegraph.

The development comes after Bennett and Ponga had lunch in Sydney on Saturday accompanied by Dolphins chief executive Terry Reader and recruitment boss Peter O’Sullivan.

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But Bennett failed to convince Ponga to move north and the 24-year-old has reportedly told friends he’s ready to commit to Newcastle on a deal that could span five seasons.

The fullback must decide by Round 12 whether to trigger an extension in his contract to stay at the Knights.

Ponga was below his best in Newcastle’s loss to Cronulla on Friday night but he’s also managing a knee injury.

NRL great Mick Ennis believes the Dolphins should focus on signing Storm star Cameron Munster and Warriors young gun Reece Walsh, who are available from 2024, instead of Ponga.

Kalyn Ponga catches the ball during the round four NRL match between the Cronulla Sharks and the Newcastle Knights. Getty

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Munster has been offered an $800,000 per season extension to stay in Melbourne beyond 2023 but that would represent a $400,000 pay cut on his salary next season.

Walsh burst onto the scene after he left the Broncos last year to join the Warriors and was a bolter in Queensland’s Origin squad.

“$1.3 million for Kalyn Ponga if you watched him play yesterday out at Shark Park he was anything but a $1.3 million player,” Ennis said.

“And I don’t mean that to be harsh, he is a wonderful player. I would love to see Kalyn stay at Newcastle, I really would and I think the best investment for the Dolphins moving forward, and it is just my opinion, is I think they go all in for Cameron Munster.

“And then they try and get Reece Walsh, I really do.

“I think you can’t afford to spend the amount of money on Munster and Ponga, I think they are far better off suited, you get Reece Walsh for half the price of Ponga.

“We have already seen that relationship between Munster and Bennett it’s like the old days with him and Alfie (Langer), he loved coaching him in Origin.”

Another playmaker the Dolphins could target is Eels five-eighth Dylan Brown who off contract at the end of next season.

Brown, 21, has impressed alongside Mitchell Moses in the halves this season and is expected to be in New Zealand’s World Cup squad later this year.

Originally published as Kalyn Ponga set to reject Wayne Bennett, sign monster new Knights deal