Kalyn Ponga discussion

If we don't sack AOB this season, Ponga will leave. Why? Because you can be certain our form won't improve. We need more than to have kept Leo, signed Brown and brought through some green junior's. We need a tactical evolution.

If AOB is here next year, Ponga is gone the next. I'll never forgive this club for pairing a generational talent like Ponga with an untested and now demonstrably mediocre coach in AOB for the entirety of Pongas FG career.

What a total ****ing disaster. Most of us saw this coming since 2021/22. And for any serious club 2022 should've been the final straw.
 
JOJO82 said:
As a leader of the club IF he is playing with an injury and as we all have seen he is playing rubbish shouldn't he put his hand up and tell medical staff he needs a spell?

I know it's the admirable thing to play with an injury but doesn't really benefit anybody.
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Just about every player in the comp is playing through injury … it’s just a matter of how much they can handle.
 
Les Misérables said:
If we don't sack AOB this season, Ponga will leave. Why? Because you can be certain our form won't improve. We need more than to have kept Leo, signed Brown and brought through some green junior's. We need a tactical evolution.

If AOB is here next year, Ponga is gone the next. I'll never forgive this club for pairing a generational talent like Ponga with an untested and now demonstrably mediocre coach in AOB for the entirety of Pongas FG career.

What a total ****ing disaster. Most of us saw this coming since 2021/22. And for any serious club 2022 should've been the final straw.
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For all we know ponga and pongas longterm future may be exactly the reason aob is safe. We have no clue.
 
jamesgould said:
Just about every player in the comp is playing through injury … it’s just a matter of how much they can handle.
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Sure, but just watching our games, Ponga is just not getting involved like he would normally.

The talk around him being disinterested has now given way to talk of him playing injured, based on one forum post.

If he is injured, he should be sat out, as he isn't having any impact in games. Remember the other year when he was injured, we were able to win some games.
 
Owey said:
I was told yesterday he got a depressed cheekbone fracture in that game and has kept it quiet. Brave to play but now confidence seems a bit shook.
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Okay well I feel pretty bad now. Good lesson for me to not run off at the mouth just because I'm a bit frustrated. If I had a depressed anything fracture I'd be in a puddle crying my eyes out all day.
 
HarVeeGee13 said:
Okay well I feel pretty bad now. Good lesson for me to not run off at the mouth just because I'm a bit frustrated. If I had a depressed anything fracture I'd be in a puddle crying my eyes out all day.
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Yeah, it might be an explanation, it's unverified but I have no reason to doubt the source. It is becoming a habit that he starts off each season out of sync with the rest of the team though.
 
Owey said:
Yeah, it might be an explanation, it's unverified but I have no reason to doubt the source. It is becoming a habit that he starts off each season out of sync with the rest of the team though.
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You would think that a competent coach would ensure during the preseason that Ponga and the rest of the team were insync.

There are too many issues with the Knights this season that a quality coach would be able to resolve, but unfortunately we keep seeing the same or similar issues year after year.
 
EASBay17 said:
For all we know ponga and pongas longterm future may be exactly the reason aob is safe. We have no clue.
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Strong hypothesis.

Arguably the best player in the world wants to play under a coach who can't improve the team over a 6 year period. Ponga is happy the club is moving sideways in perpetuity and is tactically stale.

For all we know, Ponga might want to stay at the Knights, in a losing team, until he retires. How could we know??
 
Les Misérables said:
Strong hypothesis.

Arguably the best player in the world wants to play under a coach who can't improve the team over a 6 year period. Ponga is happy the club is moving sideways in perpetuity and is tactically stale.

For all we know, Ponga might want to stay at the Knights, in a losing team, until he retires. How could we know??
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Exactly, we dont know, you may be right aswell, could be happy as collecting millions of dollars with a nice cruisy beachside lifestyle.
 
Lefty said:
You would think that a competent coach would ensure during the preseason that Ponga and the rest of the team were insync.

There are too many issues with the Knights this season that a quality coach would be able to resolve, but unfortunately we keep seeing the same or similar issues year after year.
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Yep everyone on hear is excited for the season to come around & within six weeks it Groundhog Day !
 
Lefty said:
You would think that a competent coach would ensure during the preseason that Ponga and the rest of the team were insync.

There are too many issues with the Knights this season that a quality coach would be able to resolve, but unfortunately we keep seeing the same or similar issues year after year.
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It would be an issue at every club I'd say, but every year I try to sneak over for a training session or two. The opposed sessions are often the first graders training against the reserve graders. They probably feel they are flying after a couple of months of it. I'd do it differently, at least sometimes, where the left edge first graders team up with the reserve grade right edge, and run at the opposing edge at their level. Surely Gags and Braddy squaring off would be a better preparation?
 
Gotta agree with Owey, I mean it’s all well and good having Braddy throw McCarthy 10 metres over the side line but whilst it is good for McCarthy it doesn’t offer anything to Braddy, development wise

Ps. I’m just using McCarthy as a reference it doesn’t necessarily mean him
 
KPGreatness said:
Gotta agree with Owey, I mean it’s all well and good having Braddy throw McCarthy 10 metres over the side line but whilst it is good for McCarthy it doesn’t offer anything to Braddy, development wise

Ps. I’m just using McCarthy as a reference it doesn’t necessarily mean him
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“Hey McCarthy, sit this one out, AOB is filling in”

“Why are there so many fans here?”
 
Owey said:
It would be an issue at every club I'd say, but every year I try to sneak over for a training session or two. The opposed sessions are often the first graders training against the reserve graders. They probably feel they are flying after a couple of months of it. I'd do it differently, at least sometimes, where the left edge first graders team up with the reserve grade right edge, and run at the opposing edge at their level. Surely Gags and Braddy squaring off would be a better preparation?
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I like that. Then you have younger guys squaring off at each other in front of the senior guys and wanting to impress big time. Well that would be the idea of it.
 
Owey said:
It would be an issue at every club I'd say, but every year I try to sneak over for a training session or two. The opposed sessions are often the first graders training against the reserve graders. They probably feel they are flying after a couple of months of it. I'd do it differently, at least sometimes, where the left edge first graders team up with the reserve grade right edge, and run at the opposing edge at their level. Surely Gags and Braddy squaring off would be a better preparation?
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I’d be really surprised if they weren’t doing this as it makes so much sense.

The issue is if they are not doing this and they thought their arrack was good in preseason, then we have big problems with our young guys and the depth. They are a fair way off being ready for first grade
 
Tooheys news from other thread (thanks Billy) mentions Ponga playing with rib cartilage issue - playing through pain.

Often referred to as a very painful injury.
Usually the biggest issue is the pain as far as I’m aware - which would be limiting movement and I assume not very pleasant to be tackled with.
Not sure how effectively it can be needled.

Most things I’ve looked at in my comprehensive search (2 minutes googling NRL physio) mention most players seem to get on top of it in 2-4 weeks. With most succumbing to it after playing through pain for a few weeks.

Interesting to see if we hear anything official, and how he approaches his origin availability.
 
Certainly explains a lot about the dip in form.

Got to question the club in this though. Seems very similar to last season when he very clearly couldn’t run with the Lisfranc injury yet they kept him out on the field.
 
bremsstrahlung said:
Tooheys news from other thread (thanks Billy) mentions Ponga playing with rib cartilage issue - playing through pain.

Often referred to as a very painful injury.
Usually the biggest issue is the pain as far as I’m aware - which would be limiting movement and I assume not very pleasant to be tackled with.
Not sure how effectively it can be needled.

Most things I’ve looked at in my comprehensive search (2 minutes googling NRL physio) mention most players seem to get on top of it in 2-4 weeks. With most succumbing to it after playing through pain for a few weeks.

Interesting to see if we hear anything official, and how he approaches his origin availability.
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I imagine O'Brien would not be happy about this coming out.
He never talks about injuries to players who are playing on. I assume he thinks that oppositions will immediately target the player and the injury, which is obvious I suppose.
 
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