Kalyn Ponga’s latest ‘horrible’ blow sparks concerns for future in NRL
NRL Fans and commentators have voiced their concerns Kalyn Ponga and his future in the game after the Newcastle Knights captain suffered another setback with a concussion on Sunday. The Knights lost their star in under 90 seconds with five eighths in their duel with the Wests Tigers at the Leichhardt Oval in which they recorded a brave 14-12 victory.
However, conversation about the game turned to Ponga and his recent concussion. The 24-year-old took an extended break at the end of last season after his year was ended by repeated concussions.
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He has since been moved from full-back to the fifth-eighth, but the change in position has seemingly put him more in the firing line as he has to defend at the front line. He was controversially ordered off the field for a head injury assessment in the opening round against the Warriors after collecting hip from Addin Fonua-Blake.
But things got worse on Sunday when he was knocked out after a head collision with Tigers back rower Asu Kepaoa. Ponga fell straight to the ground after the accidental collision and lay for a few seconds before recovering to his feet and being helped by the field.
Channel 9 commentator Mat Thompson described it as a “dramatic scene” as Ponga lay on the lawn. “Oh no. Ponga was hit flush. oh dear Kalyn is not doing well at all,” he said. “What a devastating blow to the knights.”
Newcastle legend Andrew Johns added: “It was always a gamble to get Kalyn up front defensively. That was always the concern.”
Ponga’s headbutt was rated a “category one,” meaning he was ruled out for the rest of the game without having to do an HIA. It also means that Ponga will automatically miss the Knights’ round three clash with the Dolphins.
Adam O’Brien coy about Kalyn Ponga’s immediate future
The Queensland star has now suffered four blows to the head in the past 10 months. However, Knights coach Adam O’Brien was unwilling to weigh up how much time Ponga will miss following the latest incident.
“I saw him do that tackle 1000 times over the summer, so I’m not too concerned about that,” O’Brien said. “It’s too early to tell but we’ll just follow the protocols.
“We gave him the summer off, he had eight games off last season, he has some longer breaks. He obviously won’t play (against the Dolphins) because we have a five day turnaround time. He was cleared to play in the last two games last year and we decided not to play him.”
Newcastle’s woes were compounded by another concussion suffered by hooker Jayden Brailey, while prop forward Jacob Saifiti was sent off for a high tackle on Tigers hooker Jake Simpkin. Jackson Hastings was also charged with shooting Tommy Talau.
“It would have been too hard for us last year,” said O’Brien, who also lost Tyson Frizell to an ankle injury. “Things won’t always go to plan, but that doesn’t mean we can crank it up.”
Fans described Ponga’s final punch as “terrible” and “sad”.
with AAP
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