By Dan Walsh
Kalyn Ponga has carved up a Dolphins outfit he spurned 18 months ago and Newcastle is finals-bound as Wayne Bennett delivered a withering take down of the NRL Bunker, declaring it will end a team’s finals campaign over the next month.
The Knights will take on North Queensland in Townsville next Saturday after prevailing 14-6 in front of a sold-out, 29,344-strong crowd, but the departing Dolphins coach was fuming at a critical no-try call against diminutive fullback Trai Fuller in the first half.
Fuller looked to have opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a try awarded on-field as he carved through Newcastle’s defence. The call was overturned by the Bunker though with Connelly Lemuelu ruled to have obstructed Jack Cogger in the lead-up.
Channel Nine commentators Andrew Johns and Phil Gould both criticised the call, while Bennett said the game would be better off without the Bunker in lamenting the decision and two others that cost the Dolphins earlier in the year.
“If that’s where we’re going we’re in a fair bit of trouble because that’s a try every week,” Bennett said.
“The three defender [Cogger] committed to ours [Lemuelu] who was running the inside shoulder, which is what he’s supposed to do, and the four defender [Brodie Jones] ran into him, and they said he obstructed him.
Kalyn Ponga and the Knights celebrate after a try.Credit: NRL Photos
“If that’s the case there will be no more of those tries scored.
“It’s just crazy. I feel sad for the teams going forward in the next four weeks because someone else is going to pay the price for it.
“We shouldn’t have been here tonight having a play-off. Twice this week we’ve had tries taken off us in [incorrect] situations, that the game admitted to, that cost us games.”
As always with Newcastle, it started and finished with Ponga. Particularly at the hour-mark, when he reeled out of a tackle grimacing over a “stinger” to his shoulder, putting 29,000 hearts in mouths before a thumbs up went to a relieved Knights bench a minute later.
Their fear turned to vitriol when Dolphins skipper Jesse Bromwich – retiring after 337 games – belted the Knights’ $1.4 million man with a swinging arm that landed him in the sin bin as one of his last acts in the NRL.
Ponga was instrumental, but not alone, in lifting the Knights into the top eight for the first time since late May.
The Raiders of 2010 were the last team to make the finals having spent less time in the top half of the draw.
But for all the Stephen Bradbury comparisons, given the Dragons and even Broncos fell by the wayside, the Knights are in the finals for the second year running and fourth of Adam O’Brien’s five seasons in the Hunter.
“[The Cowboys] will start favourites, being in Townsville. No one had us in the eight to start the year,” O’Brien said.
“Everyone will keep us as the underdog. We like it that way. We’ve been using [our underdog status] all year, we’re the ugly ducklings.”
Newcastle’s defence, particularly on their goal line, was as impressive as the scoreline indicated, while Ponga was typically enigmatic in sparking their attack.
During negotiations with Wayne Bennett in mid-2022, the Dolphins coach challenged him on how much he could achieve as a footballer in Newcastle.
Ponga responded on Sunday with a hand in all of the Knights’ points, which were only answered by a 12-man dolphins outfit in the 70th minute when Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow burrowed over out wide.
The Dolphins were gallant to the very end, but Wayne Bennett’s last game in charge got away from them. And as is often the way in a rugby league script, it was Ponga, another who got away, doing plenty to make it so.
Finals week 1 fixtures
Penrith Panthers v Sydney Roosters
BlueBet Stadium, Friday 7.50pm
Melbourne Storm v Cronulla Sharks
AAMI Park, Saturday 4.05pm
North Queensland Cowboys v Newcastle Knights
Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Saturday 7.50pm
Canterbury Bulldogs v Manly Sea Eagles
Accor Stadium, Sunday 4.05pm
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