Kalyn Ponga discussion

Kurriboy said:
Well it's pretty simple really.

For the safe of it? You want the person in your team, who reads the game the best, sees where the defence can be exploited and can make things happen to exploit what they see, getting the ball as much as possible.

I'm not saying he needs to be first receiver ever single play the ball, thats just ridiculous and no half in the comp gets the ball every play the ball. But this team has to have a player in charge of the attack. That player has to be our most confident, most dangerous attacking player and that again, is always going to be Ponga.

Unless we buy Reynolds or another quality 7, are we going to hand the control of this team to Cogger? Brown? Sharpe? I don't see that working.

This team lives and dies by Ponga's performance. And going all in on Brown/Sharpe combo in the halves cements that.

You talk of Penrith having a plan every set. That is quality coaching, teamed with quality 7 who can make it happen, and a side that all work hard to dominate every facet of the game they can, take every advantage they can. We don't have either of those things. But, who are you thinking can make that constant plan work for us? I'm not thinking Cogger, Brown or Sharpe.
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I agree he needs to be involved more.

I’m just saying, it’s one thing to say we need to give Ponga the ball more and get him more involved. But if he’s getting it in poor situations, it’s not going to lead to anything - just frustration and tiring him out and the opposition gets used to him having the ball. He’s a great player, but he can’t conjure something out of nothing.

He should be play calling. I don’t really know if he is, I can’t hear, but he should be directing the team around with his experience, as captain and being the threat that he is. I agree that He should be getting the team into positions that he can exploit either as a ball player or as the runner.

Most teams seem capable of getting some shape to their attack. I don’t see that from us consistently. That either comes down to coaching, player laziness or lack of direction on the field.


Personal opinion, but I think he is more effective when he’s reading the game, counting numbers and when he sees something, he calls and we go. We should be setting the game up for his favoured 3 v 3 on the left side or even on the right. I’d rather him get the ball in a 3v3 on the left with Best and Marzhew and have him go to the line and make that final decision/play, than I would him be the passer that passes it to Lucas to work with the 3v3.
I think he’s better when he’s operating on the edges, than he is through the middle, but that’s just me and a bit of confirmation bias.


I think we just lack a plan. It doesn’t really look like we are trying anything in particular.
Even if the play is playing him as a receiver, we need to have players in motion around him to give him options and put options in front of defenders to force a decision.


I think it’s clear that to go anywhere close to winning a premiership, you need buy-in from everyone. Everyone should be on the same page. Everyone should know their role.
 
He's had longer runs of bad form, but it's always been due to some sort of injury in the past.

If he is fully fit, there must be something going on for him to string so many poor games together, after starting the season so strong.

I'm wondering if Sharpe at 5/8 is taking away a lot of his usual space and plays and he's finding it hard to find his way in the new structure. He's done nothing for weeks.
 
Aside from the Dolphins game I could not tell you what his role in the team is tbh.

But this is Kalyn. A supreme talent who’s a little bit hard to fit into a team situation because he’s an atypical player. Not a traditional fullback with the ball. The point of him is supposed to be that his ability is so great that it overrides those fit concerns. It’s certainly not doing that at the moment.

It’s probably true what you say about Sharpe Billy, but a few weeks back it looked like Kalyn was supposed to play more as a half in attack, with Fletcher in more fullback-like positions. You wouldn’t say Kalyn is doing a great job of that.

There is no doubt in my mind that Sharpe at 1 and Kalyn at another club would at least *simplify* things for us in attack. We’d be back to square one in some regards but at least our expensive halves signing is in fact a genuine half of one kind or another.
 
Billy said:
He's had longer runs of bad form, but it's always been due to some sort of injury in the past.

If he is fully fit, there must be something going on for him to string so many poor games together, after starting the season so strong.

I'm wondering if Sharpe at 5/8 is taking away a lot of his usual space and plays and he's finding it hard to find his way in the new structure. He's done nothing for weeks.
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Except those first few weeks where he was much more involved and getting the ball a lot more at first receiver?

It's like that coach has gone, we need to Sharpe to learn playmaking, so give him the ball more and KP, you revert back to attacking further out wide.

I don't place any of the blame for how KP is going on KP. Clearly I place it on the complete numpty of a coach we have.

I have no doubt, if KP left and went to any other team, he shines.
 
HarVeeGee13 said:
Aside from the Dolphins game I could not tell you what his role in the team is tbh.

But this is Kalyn. A supreme talent who’s a little bit hard to fit into a team situation because he’s an atypical player. Not a traditional fullback with the ball. The point of him is supposed to be that his ability is so great that it overrides those fit concerns. It’s certainly not doing that at the moment.

It’s probably true what you say about Sharpe Billy, but a few weeks back it looked like Kalyn was supposed to play more as a half in attack, with Fletcher in more fullback-like positions. You wouldn’t say Kalyn is doing a great job of that.

There is no doubt in my mind that Sharpe at 1 and Kalyn at another club would at least *simplify* things for us in attack. We’d be back to square one in some regards but at least our expensive halves signing is in fact a genuine half of one kind or another.
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So now we want KP moved on to accomodate Brown . 😂.I think Ponga will move on anyway , watching all three grade certainly wouldn't inspire me to think we are close to a premiership window .Gardener said Brown was the missing piece of the puzzle , yeah right . May as well get the Brown is overrated thread transferred from the Eels forum . I 'm sure it won't take long to fill up . Brown thinks he is under pressure now . The press will have a field day . We will be the laughing stock of the league . Seem to think we are already
 
I put it down to incompetent coaching. We have not figured out how the best way to use KP under AOB, none of us really know what his role is or what it's supposed to be. We haven't even looked like trying something that might work with a bit more polish.

We should be executing game plans that unlock our stars, but we seem to have NFI what to do with any of the talent we've got.
 
Sarge said:
So now we want KP moved on to accomodate Brown . 😂.I think Ponga will move on anyway , watching all three grade certainly wouldn't inspire me to think we are close to a premiership window .Gardener said Brown was the missing piece of the puzzle , yeah right . May as well get the Brown is overrated thread transferred from the Eels forum . I 'm sure it won't take long to fill up . Brown thinks he is under pressure now . The press will have a field day . We will be the laughing stock of the league . Seem to think we are already
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I’m not saying I want that. He’s an insane talent. I’m just saying there are times where you do think, it does seem to be easier to put the pieces of the puzzle together when you have simpler & more straightforward pieces.
 
On us not knowing how to use Ponga properly: that’s one thing I’m so confused about.

In round 2 we looked great in attack using KP at first receiver and occasionally switching him back outside of Sharpe.

Then we just completely threw it out the window????? Like WTF?????

We actually found a way where Ponga was able to use all of his strengths and also bring Sharpe into the game and we just threw it away?

I was prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt, changing up the attack takes time and the signs looked really promising that it would be worth it, but we’ve thrown it away for the old stuff that’s not working???
 
Chaister said:
I was prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt, changing up the attack takes time and the signs looked really promising that it would be worth it, but we’ve thrown it away for the old stuff that’s not working???
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And never did.

We used to beat teams that didn't turn up or were not 100%. Any team that showed up on their game won the vast majority of the time. We were and are flat track bullies.

The only exception to that is that golden 10 game winning streak where we actually looked like we could take on anybody and give it a fair shot.

OB ball is playing for penalties and errors and hoping we get those chances and convert.
 
Hypothetically, say the clubs let’s KP go, would the club be better off

A) Signing a half like Sexton and going all in for Haas

B) Go all in for Jarome Hughes

Also, what is the likelihood that even with a massive contract either would come here anyway?
 
Newygirl said:
Hypothetically, say the clubs let’s KP go, would the club be better off

A) Signing a half like Sexton and going all in for Haas

B) Go all in for Jarome Hughes

Also, what is the likelihood that even with a massive contract either would come here anyway?
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Sexton + Haas, but no we probably wouldn't get him.

If Kalyn did want to leave it's probably only worth it for a ridiculous trade of a top tier player that no other club would agree to. To the Phins for Katoa and Gilbert? Yes, I'd bite your hand off. But it wouldn't happen.

I'm just frutstrated tbh.
 
I am at the point where I honestly couldn't care if KP walked......... What is the point of him hanging around, I mean we have the best attacking weapon in the game but the dud coach doesn't know how to use him.

My advice to KP is either march into Knights HQ and demand AOB gets sacked or leave the club because you are never going to win a premiership here and wasting your time.
 
Wow. There are some people on here who are very disillusioned with the Knights at present. I agree that our season is unraveling and there doesn’t seem to be any solution on the horizon because Wests aren’t going to sack AOB this year.

The pressure will now be on AOB to turn things around.
 
Lefty said:
Wow. There are some people on here who are very disillusioned with the Knights at present. I agree that our season is unraveling and there doesn’t seem to be any solution on the horizon because Wests aren’t going to sack AOB this year.

The pressure will now be on AOB to turn things around.
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Very big difference between illusion and reality mate.

Unfourtately, a large chunk of us are In reality and I completely understand why you wouldn't want to join us.
 
I feel sad that we have this generational talent and we haven’t figured out a way to utilise him to showcase his potential outside of a few games a year.

I was critical that I thought he was trying to do too much - trying to set up our attack, trying to be first receiver, trying to get the ball in his sweet spot 3 v 3 on the left, trying to let Sharpe develop. I thought him doing too much left him ineffective at anything. But I find myself wanting him to be more involved.

I also feel disappointed. I had such high hopes for him this season. His talk at the end of the year last season and his actions over preseason indicated he was determined and ready to make this his best.

Do we just need to simplify what we are doing? Hard to say, because I’m not really sure what we are trying to do.

I often wonder how training is with him. I wonder if he stays to do extras. If he puts in at training. If he’s a “freak” at training. All attributes of great players over the years. He’s a relaxed dude, and I hope it’s that calmness that we see, not apathy.
 
bremsstrahlung said:
I feel sad that we have this generational talent and we haven’t figured out a way to utilise him to showcase his potential outside of a few games a year.

I was critical that I thought he was trying to do too much - trying to set up our attack, trying to be first receiver, trying to get the ball in his sweet spot 3 v 3 on the left, trying to let Sharpe develop. I thought him doing too much left him ineffective at anything. But I find myself wanting him to be more involved.

I also feel disappointed. I had such high hopes for him this season. His talk at the end of the year last season and his actions over preseason indicated he was determined and ready to make this his best.

Do we just need to simplify what we are doing? Hard to say, because I’m not really sure what we are trying to do.

I often wonder how training is with him. I wonder if he stays to do extras. If he puts in at training. If he’s a “freak” at training. All attributes of great players over the years. He’s a relaxed dude, and I hope it’s that calmness that we see, not apathy.
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To me it's feeling like last year again. In 23 he found the areas on the pitch he is most effective in, started last year getting away from that. Same again this year. I think the edge backrowers are so important to his game, not getting to connect with Lucas and KPP much so far isn't helping.

The circuit breaker last year was his injury that opened the door for Armstrong and a four game winning streak. When he came back he was finding his areas out wider a whole lot better. He made the Cogger/Crossland halves pairing quite effective at the end of last aeason. He looked to be getting there better yesterday. Hopefully it doesn't take an injury for this to happen again. Hopefully he gains enough trust with Gamble back that he stops getting the ball where he is ineffective and gets back to his spots.
 
Rupert Murdoch said:
Very big difference between illusion and reality mate.

Unfourtately, a large chunk of us are In reality and I completely understand why you wouldn't want to join us.
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There was nothing in my post that said I think AOB should NOT be sacked.

My point was that there is no obvious solution to our problems as Wests are not going to agree to sacking AOB in the foreseeable future.
 
Lefty said:
There was nothing in my post that said I think AOB should NOT be sacked.

My point was that there is no obvious solution to our problems as Wests are not going to agree to sacking AOB in the foreseeable future.
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Put him on one of those trusting open ended contracts like they did with Nathan Brown and then sack him about ten weeks later like that also did with Brown lol.
 
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