Tackleslikeagirl
Jeff Doyle
Is that fact though? Our more of Chammas dribble?
Kalyn Ponga discussion
- Thread starter Aidos
- Start date
Alex
Ben Kennedy
Source: Trust me bro.
KPGreatness
Todd Bates
Do people really care anymore? It’s a circus and we have a very good backup that can slot right in.
I used to fear KP walking but now with Sharpe, Brown and Smith.
I couldn’t care less
I used to fear KP walking but now with Sharpe, Brown and Smith.
I couldn’t care less
Its all hypotheticals but sharpe slotting into 1 and buying 2 700k middles or 1 top shelf middle and another nrl quality middle gets us closer than kp and brown playing behind a beaten pack every week imo.
Its not about doubting how good kp is, its about building a balanced squad because as it stands whilst our pack is better for 26 its nowhere near good enough to compete for a title.
if we were dominating the ruck every week theres enough points in sharpe brown smith and our outside backs without ponga.
HarVeeGee13
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
It’s a horrible horrible time to try to go middle shopping this off season, add an extra $300K to the price tag of everyone.
Nabbing Trey Mooney when we did was basically a last chopper out of Saigon situation, everyone who’s testing the market is looking to get paid-paid.
I maintain that smart cap management is: Kalyn honours his contract, and over 2026 we evaluate the young guys coming through. If Cody Hopwood jumps out of the ground as our Isaah Yeo or Carrigan, it may make a lot sense to just passively let Kalyn leave and then use that coin to lock him down on a long term extension, along with upgrading other key men like Lucas and Sharpe.
If we let Kalyn leave and then dump that money on like a 5 year 7 million deal for Tino, that legit may price us out of two or maybe more of our favourite juniors on here.
Make decisions based on what you know you need rather than what you think you will - by 2027 a prop like Tino might not look like that big a team need anymore - or because you see a shiny toy you like.
Nabbing Trey Mooney when we did was basically a last chopper out of Saigon situation, everyone who’s testing the market is looking to get paid-paid.
I maintain that smart cap management is: Kalyn honours his contract, and over 2026 we evaluate the young guys coming through. If Cody Hopwood jumps out of the ground as our Isaah Yeo or Carrigan, it may make a lot sense to just passively let Kalyn leave and then use that coin to lock him down on a long term extension, along with upgrading other key men like Lucas and Sharpe.
If we let Kalyn leave and then dump that money on like a 5 year 7 million deal for Tino, that legit may price us out of two or maybe more of our favourite juniors on here.
Make decisions based on what you know you need rather than what you think you will - by 2027 a prop like Tino might not look like that big a team need anymore - or because you see a shiny toy you like.
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I think the market is going to stay like that, you’re going to have to develop your own forwards if you want them for cheap
HarVeeGee13
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Middles are always overvalued in a way that both does and doesn’t make sense.
There are three middle forwards in a team and only one hooker. Props shouldn’t make more on average, but they do. Because your pack being not just good but great tends to be a non-negotiable in winning a comp.
On the flip side, it tends to be way way easier to tell if your junior prop is going to be really good, than it is to tell if your halfback will be. You have to develop them, but also, you really should be able to if your club is fair dinkum and you cast a wide net over a big junior catchment.
There are three middle forwards in a team and only one hooker. Props shouldn’t make more on average, but they do. Because your pack being not just good but great tends to be a non-negotiable in winning a comp.
On the flip side, it tends to be way way easier to tell if your junior prop is going to be really good, than it is to tell if your halfback will be. You have to develop them, but also, you really should be able to if your club is fair dinkum and you cast a wide net over a big junior catchment.
I think people being ok with KP going is due to the fact we really haven't gotten our money's worth out of him apart from that 10 game winning streak.
The bloke is out for large chunks due to injuries and when on the field he can't do basic fullback things.
KPGreatness
Todd Bates
THIS BY A THOUSAND PERCENT
Ps. Just from when Sharpe joined the team I’d easily say Sharpe has been playing all over Ponga and has been the better player over the last two years even with the limited time
Mclovin
Clint Newton
I kind of disagree with this. On field yea your right we havnt got our moneys worth but he brings a lot of attention to Newcastle and he gets bums on seats. Players aren't just paid for what happens on the field but off it as well and people need to factor this in before saying someone isn't worth a certain amount of money. Just think of the marketing he has also been involved in and how many extra members he has secured or how much more merch they have sold because of him, he has done wonders for the club and has made them a lot of money.
Newygirl
Darren Albert
Yeah that makes heaps of sense. KP has hung around all these years playing with the likes of Cogger and Gamble in the halves but now that’s we’ve got a genuinely very good 6 and possible very decent 7 in Smith to help him out he’s going to run.
Because Chammas has a vibe lol
Because Chammas has a vibe lol
Celticman98
Timana Tahu
I'll believe it if Ponga actually leaves.
frankLauda
Matthew Gidley
You can not change your profile name I presume?
Les Misérables
Mark Hughes
He's struggled at times to live up to 'the highest paid player in the game' tag because his halves have had access to the DSP. If he were playing inside FG standard halves, we'd be getting serious value for money imo
Alex
Ben Kennedy
Doesn't help that we've had one of the most boring attacking game plans for the past 5 years either
Kurriboy
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
I don't want Ponga to go yet, I want to see what a new coach can do with him, and Brown and the squad with hopefully a decent run of injuries.
That may be enough to convince Ponga to stay.
But, if he does go, then we have Sharpe that can move to the 1 and should be very dynamic like Paps, and we can use that money to balance the squad a bit more.
But I REALLY want to see how we go with the new coach.
That may be enough to convince Ponga to stay.
But, if he does go, then we have Sharpe that can move to the 1 and should be very dynamic like Paps, and we can use that money to balance the squad a bit more.
But I REALLY want to see how we go with the new coach.
This is pretty much smack on. 2023 we had healthy halves who could understand a gameplan and a squad who barely got injured. Kp thrived off that. 2024 he started well but club let him down and so did the team by not working hard enough for him. 2025 was a pisser. Lefts forget about that one. Next couple years could be the making of not only him, but the team.
Les Misérables
Mark Hughes
And this is why I carried on like a pork chop over AOB for years on end, for the club to keep that administration in place, watching us fumble and humiliate ourselves using Ponga like a 'get out of gaol free card' to prop up a dead corpse, where without Ponga we were a rock solid bottom 4 team, it bordered on professional negligence.
They acted at the 11th hour, a wooden spoon forced their hand, and now Ponga is 27, and this useless ****ing club has had him since he was a teenager and we've only just managed to put good halves inside of him.
Disgusting behaviour. I'll never get over that, honestly.
frankLauda
Matthew Gidley
Love the fire
in your belly Les.