‘He’s a big part of the club ... but it’s business’: Knights react to Ponga uncertainty

He has spent his whole NRL career playing alongside Kalyn Ponga, and scored dozens of tries running off his passes, but representative centre Bradman Best insists the Newcastle Knights will cope if their enigmatic skipper chooses to move on at the end of the season.

As revealed by this masthead on Monday, Ponga is understood to be considering his options, despite having two more seasons to run on a contract worth $1.4 million a year, and the Knights are not necessarily desperate to retain him.

Newcastle officials have declined to discuss the matter, or the future of embattled coach Adam O’Brien, dismissing it as “speculation”.

Instead, Best and teammate Brodie Jones were required to front the media on Tuesday, when they were peppered with more questions about Ponga and O’Brien than about Sunday’s clash with the Warriors at McDonald Jones Stadium.

Best, the two-game NSW Origin centre, debuted alongside Ponga in 2019 and has formed a deadly left-edge combination with the 27-year-old fullback.

“He’s a big part of the club,” Best said. “He’s our captain. But at the end of the day, it’s his decision. So yeah, it is what it is … it’s a business.

“I’ve been here the whole time he’s been here, and we do have a bit of a good connection.

“But if he does go, well, I guess we’ve got other fullbacks like ‘Sharpey’ [Fletcher Sharpe], Fletcher Hunt - other lads that can do the job. And if he stays, then he stays.”

Jones said he had not seen Ponga since the news broke because “he hasn’t been in”, but added that it would be “massive” if the club could retain the Queensland Origin star.

“I’m not too sure what’s going on, but yeah, it’d be good to keep him,” Jones said.

“Like he’s a freak of a talent and massive image for the club. So in the ideal world, he stays. But I don’t know what’s going to happen. I have no idea.”

Both players said they were paid to stay focused on this week’s match, rather than worry about digital and newspaper headlines.

“There’s a bit going on outside these walls, but I guess that’s the media and it comes with the job,” Best said.

“But us in the playing group, we haven’t looked too much into it … we all know it’s a business at the end of the day.

“Coach is still coaching. KP’s still here. So until it comes from them, then we’ll know.”

Bradman Best has scored dozens of tries running off Kalyn Ponga’s passes.Credit: Getty Images

O’Brien was in a similar position two years ago, when third parties linked to the Knights started sounding out alternative coaches, including Des Hasler.

But just when O’Brien appeared a dead man walking, Ponga caught fire to inspire a 10-game winning streak that earned him a Dally M medal and the coach a three-season extension.

This year Ponga won’t be able to provide any such salvation, as he is unlikely to play again in 2025 because of a foot injury that required surgery. Sharpe and back-rower Dylan Lucas are also sidelined with long-term injuries, leaving O’Brien with a squad bereft of firepower as he fights to save his career.

The Knights are currently 13th on the premiership ladder and would probably need to win six of their remaining seven games to reach the play-offs.

Kalyn Ponga talks with Knights coach Adam O’Brien.Credit: Getty Images

“We’ve been here before,” Best said. “We always hear the coach’s head is on the chopping block, but he’s still our coach.

“He’s still here today. We’ve just got to keep winning. There’s still finals footy to play.”

For Jones, who has never played under any other NRL coach other than O’Brien, it would be disappointing if they part ways at the end of the season.

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“I suppose it’s never a good thing for anyone to leave the club, whether it’s a coach, player, staff member, anything like that,” he said.

“You build a connection with the person in the club and you become mates with them. So it’s never a good thing to see anyone leave … it’s just a part of the business. It’s just how it is.”

Jones said O’Brien had “helped me grow as a player” since debuting in 2020. He has since appeared in 85 further top-grade games.

“I can’t fault him in any way,” Jones said.

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