Kalyn Ponga discussion

Mal is absolutely kidding is anyone else but his is picked for the Kangaroos. Selfishly hope not, think 25-27 is the last we’ll see of KP in Newcastle and hope we maximise it.
 

New podcast out on Backstage (Matty and Cooper Johns) with Mr Ponga.

Have only listened to 5-10 minutes so far, unsure of how insightful or good it is.

Starts with Matty telling him he’s too honest re: Kangaroos saga - assuming they wanted to address the elephant asap (when recorded). Went to Bali for 10 days following it.

Been staying in Many area for a few weeks, assume his partner is there.
 
Absolutely no chance Ponga entertains the idea of going to rugby. Similar to Nathan Cleary.

Super Rugby crowds are dreadful nowadays. Apart from when games go to regional places eg Napier, Palmerston North, Invercargill.
 
Mclovin said:
Wtf is a Beaver bomb 🤣
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Stephen "Beaver" Donald, became a bit of a cult hero for the All Blacks when he was called up into their squad for the 2011 and ended up kicking the match winning penalty goal in the World Cup Final. He's on our version of SEN radio over here and is actually pretty funny to listen to, but I wouldn't put much stock in his rumours, he's probably just having a laugh!

Donald played on an international-level for the All Blacks from 2008 to 2011. Throughout his time playing for the All Blacks, Donald had been the subject of harsh criticism as well as high praise.

One instance of note was in October 2010, when the All Blacks faced off against the Wallabies in a Bledisloe Cup match in Hong Kong. In the 60th minute of the game, Donald came on as a substitute for Dan Carter and the All Blacks held a five-point lead, just after Drew Mitchell scored a converted try. Donald had missed a penalty-kick that would have put the game out of reach. The situation was made worse when Donald failed to kick the ball into touch in the dying minutes of the game. After launching a counter-attack, James O'Connor scored a try in the corner to level the score. O'Connor managed to convert that try to win the game for the Australians and the blame of the loss fell primarily on Donald. Although defended by team personnel, Donald had seemingly fallen out of favour with the public and selectors. After the 2010 season had culminated, the All Black selectors looked toward players such as Colin Slade and Aaron Cruden more favourably. Donald was not named in the initial 2011 Rugby World Cup All Blacks squad and with his forthcoming move to Bath Rugby, it seemed to be the end of his All Black career.

However, a string of injuries hit the All Blacks that would see Donald return to the squad. During training the day before the All Blacks match against Canada, Dan Carter sustained a tournament-ending groin injury and was subsequently replaced by Aaron Cruden. On 9 October, Colin Slade sustained a groin tear which led to Donald receiving a call-up as replacement first-five for the All Blacks heading into the finals. A cartoon by Tom Scott in the lead-up to the 2011 Rugby World Cup final described it as a "nightmare" if New Zealand's fate was left in his hands. Donald was not used in the semi-final against Australia, however he would be used in the final against France. Cruden sustained a knee injury 34 minutes into the first half, which left Donald to take to the field. After receiving a penalty in the 46th minute, Donald converted a penalty-kick which extended their lead to eight points. Shortly afterwards, France regained the ball from the kick-off and Thierry Dusautoir scored under the posts, bringing the score to 8–7. Despite the resilient and strong performance from the French, this would be their only set of points scored in the final. Coupled with Tony Woodcock's try, Donald's penalty-kick was ultimately what won the New Zealand side their second Rugby World Cup. After the final, Donald was hailed as the player that won the World Cup for New Zealand and had become somewhat of a national hero thereafter.

In honour of his contribution to winning the World Cup, his local rugby club in Waiuku has renamed their home ground to Beaver Park.
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Sooooo, do we try to extend Ponga? Is it Worth testing the waters while there’s not too much fanfare/whispering agents in his ear..

Is it him that would be hesitant?

Would we be hesitant with how much he’d want/his longevity?

Or we concerned with cap balance and other emerging talents..
 
bremsstrahlung said:
Sooooo, do we try to extend Ponga? Is it Worth testing the waters while there’s not too much fanfare/whispering agents in his ear..

Is it him that would be hesitant?

Would we be hesitant with how much he’d want/his longevity?

Or we concerned with cap balance and other emerging talents..
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His as good as gone mate they know it that’s why they’re trying to get brown to convince ponga to stay.
 
jamesgould said:
As good as gone? His contract still has three years left haha.

No reason to even be thinking about it yet. The size of the salary cap and our situation with it will look very different in three year's time.
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Exactly , I think the Roosters will be our only threat . But gee they have some rebuilding to do . In three years time not sure they will be any closer to a premiership than us ?
 
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