Kalyn Ponga discussion

There’s definitely only two roads forward.

One is that this all turns out to be a blip, he comes back into the side against Canberra, and the head knocks prove to just have been bad luck.

The other is that he comes back in, it happens again, too easy, and he surely has to medically retire.

Any middle ground where he plays on but it’s always hanging over his and the team’s head, and he’s basically a part time player going forward, is just not going to work - for him or the club.
 
Billy said:
I suppose it's just me who thought it looked pretty suss yesterday.
The knock didn't look like much, but despite everyone telling him to not lay around after a headknock after what happened last week, he went straight to ground and had a little sleep, till he jumped up and looked just fine for the rest of the day.
Meanwhile, Brailey got up as quick as he could and tried to look unaffected, but was staggering around like he had 15 schooners in warm up.
Ponga got level 1 and Brailey got level 2. I'd have called it the other way around. I didn't see any sign of Ponga being concussed other than him lowering himself to the ground and playing dead, while Brailey was clearly staggering for minutes.
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What are you trying to say here mate?

He cops a high impact shoulder to the head. Watch it again, he falls to the ground and there's a whiplash action of his head then hitting the ground - that isn't how any bloke "lowers [themselves] to the ground".

Then he tries to stand up but cant find his balance despite two guys trying to steady him. I can see an argument that Brailey should be category 1 as well given his stumbling, but there's no sense in suggesting Ponga was actually fine.
 
He also got ruled a category 1 in a game last year but passed the HIA test. It’s clearly not ideal but the obsession from the media & some fans is getting quite weird. Always reported as more than his actually had and people saying his getting knocked by soft blows when they’re heavy blows.
 
This article in the Herald sets out the cold hard facts on the number of HIAs Ponga has had and how they are getting worse and more frequent.
It's hard not to think he just has to medically retire and we need to salvage whatever we can from the wreckage and move on.
I'm pretty dirty on the fact that refs have never tried to protect him from frequent head high hits due to his running style. If it ever comes to a court case, all the times he has stepped someone and copped a lazy arm to the head with no penalty given will look very bad.

www.newcastleherald.com.au

Kalyn Ponga in danger of becoming one of rugby league's greatest unfulfilled talents

While ever he is defending at five-eighth, Ponga can expect opposition back-rowers to target him.
www.newcastleherald.com.au www.newcastleherald.com.au
 
he didnt have concussion in round 1 as he passed the hia. he copped a headclash in week 2, which would of knocked most out, it was a combination of him rushing up and poor technique, aob summed it up well in the presser.
it has been 8 months between concussions. i feel the media are getting ahead of themselves just a little at this stage, follow the protocol and keep working on his technique. is this as big a story if he doesnt wrongly get removed by the bunker in round 1?
 
EASBay17 said:
it has been 8 months between concussions
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A more accurate statement would be he only managed one concussion free game in 8 months.

EASBay17 said:
if he doesnt wrongly get removed by the bunker in round 1?
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Why is anyone still pedaling this garbage. He was correctly removed for a HIA after he was slow to rise after contact to the head. The fact he subsequently passed the HIA doesn't mean he was wrongly removed from the field.
 
slotmachine said:
A more accurate statement would be he only managed one concussion free game in 8 months.



Why is anyone still pedaling this garbage. He was correctly removed for a HIA after he was slow to rise after contact to the head. The fact he subsequently passed the HIA doesn't mean he was wrongly removed from the field.
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il fix that up, its a farce that any player is removed for a set amount of time by a dr sitting behind a tv screen, a tweak of the rules and an independant dr at the ground would of seen him return within 3 minutes. the fact he was removed 2 weeks in a row is just adding to the media snowballing this is issue.

and yes its been 8 months without a concussion, do you think in that 8 months he hasnt done any game intensity defence and contact? people are making out his getting concussion everytime he laces his boots, which isnt the case. 4 concussions isnt good obviously we all get that but talk of retirement may be premature.
 
We can’t complain about Ponga having not been adequately protected earlier in his career on one hand, and then complain about him being taken off in round one when he showed symptoms of a concussion on the other.

And I’m pretty sure the facts are if you suffer one concussion your chances of suffering another within a short time period go up a long way, so who’s to say that knock against the Warriors didn’t affect his knock out from what I’d probably say was a smaller head knock on Sunday.
 
yeah the whole process is not right though. the frustration is the fact a hia test takes what 2-3 minutes, you can pass it after 3 minutes and be made to sit and watch the clock for another 12 minutes. if you pass your hia why is there a wait? a dr in the bunker taking someone off who can return immediatly after a hia is fine. a dr behind a screen rubbing someone out for nearly 20% of the game is what rubs people the wrong way when its proven to not be a concussion.
If there is a geniune reason for the 15 minute wait im not aware of it, does anyone know?
 
Article in the Herald says Ponga had 5 HIAs in his first 4 years, 5 HIAs last year, and sat out the last 6 games to avoid another, and 2 HIAs in 2 games this year.
Put that on a graph and it would look like one for interest rates.
 
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