By Michael Chammas
On Thursday morning, Kalyn Ponga arrived at Knights headquarters after being summoned to a meeting to discuss his future.
For three days, Knights powerbrokers had been waiting to hear from their marquee man after revelations the Ponga camp had engaged a New Zealand-based rugby union agent to explore options despite being contracted to the club until the end of 2027.
At the meeting with general manager Peter Parr, the club’s strategic vision for the future was outlined to a player who was becoming increasingly frustrated with both his and his club’s inability to be competing for the premierships they so desperately seek.
Parr was remaining tight-lipped about what the strategic vision looked like. Was the coach discussed? Future recruitment plans?
“It was a private chat between me and him,” Parr said. “It will stay that way.”
Either way, Ponga left the room and worked with club officials on releasing a statement via his own social media platforms to assure fans that he would see out the final two years of his $1.4 million-a-season contract.
“Committed to the end of 2027,” Ponga wrote in his post on social media. “Excited about the vision of the club. Appreciate those that support me.”
The fact it took three days for Ponga, notoriously prolific on social media, to respond to the revelations of his desire to pursue alternative sporting opportunities is a reflection of how serious Ponga has been about departing Newcastle.
Even in his statement, there was no denial. Well-placed sources with knowledge of the situation told this masthead that the Ponga camp had no desire to go public with their stance until at least the end of this season.
That would’ve given the Ponga camp time to gauge the level of interest from prospective clubs or governing bodies before approaching the Knights.
Kalyn Ponga says he’s going to see out the final two years of his deal.Credit: NRL Photos
The reports on Monday brought the situation to a head. Ponga was in no position to seek a release and the Knights in no mood to discuss such a move at such a precarious time for the club.
Coach Adam O’Brien is under pressure to retain his job beyond the end of the year, with the club making internal plans to move in a different direction next year.
The club’s group CEO Phil Gardner is planning to exit the business at the end of the season and the club’s recruitment has come under fire in recent months following the $13 million, 10-year acquisition of Eels playmaker Dylan Brown.
The last thing the Knights wanted was their captain actively seeking his own exit from the club while trying to convince others it was a place to be.
Kalyn Ponga has declared he will see out the remaining two years of his deal.Credit: NRL Photos
It’s unclear if Ponga admitted to the club he was exploring opportunities elsewhere, but this masthead stands by its original reports that he was worried about wasting the prime years of his career with a struggling football organisation.
Regardless of whether the Knights are burying their head in the sand or genuinely believe Ponga wants to be around, the narrative that he is committed to the cause suits all parties.
Unlike others who have agitated to break contracts at NRL clubs in the past, Ponga is not driven by a dislike of his surroundings or the people in it. That’s something to work with.
He enjoys life in Newcastle, he is appreciative of what the club has done for him and acknowledges that he hasn’t - through no fault of his own - held up his end of the bargain due to injuries that have robbed him of 46 games in the past five years.
But from a young age, the Ponga family always believed Kalyn was destined for greatness.
At 27 years of age and with two years to run on his contract at the struggling Knights, it was becoming increasingly unlikely he could achieve that without leaving the environment he currently finds himself in.
They wondered if the grass was greener on the other side, but that curiosity landed them in the middle of a media storm this week as their intended private inquiries became public knowledge.
If it’s greatness Ponga seeks, there’d be no greater measurement of such a feat than leading Newcastle to a title before his time is up. In 2027, apparently.