Kalyn Ponga re-signs with the Knights

In the drawn out saga that was Kalyn's contract negotiations, it seems like the player options were the only thing that got them over the line. Signing the contract got Kalyn a massive pay rise, while from the knights point of view it locked him in for next year. That's it, one year. We are already hearing noise about what might happen come November, speculation at this point, but the start of the next saga nonetheless. In this case the speculation about Kalyn was he might go to rugby. How about options saying if he wants to play rugby league it is with the knights, otherwise he is a free agent?
 
It's interesting to speculate on the worth of a fullback.
10 years ago you'd be crazy to spend more than mid-range money on a fullback. You needed to spend your money on the halves to be successful.
Well before my time, but I remember having a conversation with my father about how Clive Churchill could be seen as the best ever player when he was a fullback, and my father explained how, under unlimited tackle rules and 3 and 5 metre defensive line rules, the fullback was the guy who had room to move and did the majority of kicking and playmaking (he didn't use the term playmaking - that wasn't a thing - but that's what he meant).
Anyway, suddenly fullbacks are worth a million dollars and are now playmakers with room to move who can choose where to "chime in" (the words my father used) to make things happen.
All the best sides have a Papanhousen, Tedesco, Tom T, Ponga, RTS, Gutherson etc.
We might be moving back to the days when fullbacks were the top players in the game.
 
If Kalyn should move to the doncs, at least he would get protection from the yellow geese on all the shots he takes and the number of times flattened under the high ball in mid air instead of all this 'eyes on the ball' crap. Eyes on the ball is not in the rules but added to in ordertto cover the geese's rear ends.

Favoured clubs unlike us always get the somewhat better call and player protection.
 
Didn't he open a brewery or something with his old man in Meet? Maybe that in itself is enough to keep him around as he would like to stay close to family.
 
They are throwing every high profile name up there.... Ponga will go where he thinks he will win a premiership. We string two wins together and the next minute we are the dark horse for the Comp. look at Manly, Cows etc. looked like bustards and then practically overnight they are playing good footy. We need nothing but a win this weekend, we can’t afford to lose with trying our best. This team is meant to be able to compete for a title...
 
Well that’s true, he will be tempted by a club that has a strong chance of winning a premiership. That’s not the Knights right now, that’s for sure. Money will be a factor as well, if another club gives him an offer that he can’t refuse and has a bigger chance of third party options than he does in Newcastle then that will be a big factor too, I’d say.

So basically he’s got one more year here under his current contract, I hope we’re already in talks to extend.
 
Look at the options. Storm are set, South’s are set, Roosters are set, Manly set, Raiders (no chance) Titans (possible but not money) Eels are set Dragons a chance, NZ (obvious answer) Tigers no chance. Cows you wouldn’t think so. Dogs and sharks have the money.

I think realistically Titans are the biggest threat in the NRL if they can afford it somehow. Will suit his lifestyle to a tee. Brisbane will always be tempting if you are optimistic.

Dogs and Sharks for the money.

Then Rugby.

I think he honestly may as well stay here unless he jumps codes.
 
The biggest threat is the second Brisbane club IMO. If they nab Harry Grant, who also has a 2023 option with Melbourne and may not want to be in Cam Smith’s shadow his whole career, and a few top tier forwards, he might start to think that’s his best shot at a title. Wayne Bennett will likely be the coach as well so that’s an attraction.

I’m not against player options per se but there should only be a few players who get them, and it should be the absolute marquee names. Kalyn Ponga, Tyson Frizell. I’m still livid we gave one to Shibasaki hahaha.

I tend to agree with what Phil Gardner said on Toohey’s podcast a while back. Kalyn is the highest paid player at the club. If he stops wanting to play for Newcastle on that money, then we wouldn’t want to pay him that much anymore. I think he’s worth that money now, easily, but it he stops being dialled in with us he’s obviously not anymore.

The club clearly isn’t just sitting on its hands. A lot of talented fullback/five-eighth prospects in the system. I think the club admin is smart enough at the moment to avoid the fate of Wests or Brisbane when they lose a top player - don’t just anoint the next young kid in your system as a saviour and then when you lose them stand there rending the flesh from your face and crying. You should always have multiple young players coming through competing for spots, without a specific vested idea of which one is the “best” one, and the one who comes into first grade is the one who proves he deserves it.
 
If he is to stay here, we better get our act together. Cant blame the guy for leaving if we continue the mediocrity we seem to be so good at.
 
Yeah in our favour is that the contenders are all set for fullbacks. Dylan Edwards is the Andy Dalton of fullbacks but Penrith’s cap is already stretched to accommodate too many other great players to afford a marquee #1 (they don’t need better than him anyway). Brisbane Firejets or whatever are the only real threat in rugby league.

In our favour also is that Kalyn is the face of our club. It’s not nothing. That’s part of why Joey never left us, why Thurston never left North Queensland. I think some players like being the club hero, the man around which it all revolves. It’d be great if we could evolve to the point where the name “Newcastle Knights” means more than the name of the best player, as is the case for Easts, Souths & Melbourne... but in the meantime...
 
Apparently in talks again to extend. Apparently he has been offered the captaincy and 5/8 to stay.

From Fox
"Ponga has reportedly been offered the Knights’ five-eighth role and the captaincy as part of a plan to keep him at Newcastle well beyond his current deal which expires in 2023 and Cronk believes he is worth the investment."

 
The rule changes might have made Kalyn's switch to 5/8 a moot point.
Fullback is rapidly becoming just as important and highly paid as 5/8, if not more important.
The marquee players in our game now are Tom T, Ponga, Papa, Gutho, Teddy, Latrell, RTS.
Playmaking skills are now as important for a fullback as the traditional skills - safety under a high ball, positional play, backing up etc.
If you were building a team now and could only have 2 million dollar players, you'd spend your money on 1 great half and a fullback now.
 
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Well im glad to read that OBrien has no plans to move Ponga to 5/8 anytime soon , that makes me happy because imo he plays his best footy at f/b ... He has and needs that bit of extra space that f.b provides him just because Lockyer did it doesn't mean Ponga should or can and we would just be weakening F/b to strengthen 5/8 and it didn't work last time no reason to think it will next time .
 
The rule changes might have made Kalyn's switch to 5/8 a moot point.
Fullback is rapidly becoming just as important and highly paid as 5/8, if not more important.
The marquee players in our game now are Tom T, Ponga, Papa, Gutho, Teddy, Latrell, RTS.
Playmaking skills are now as important for a fullback as the traditional skills - safety under a high ball, positional play, backing up etc.
If you were building a team now and could only have 2 million dollar players, you'd spend your money on 1 great half and a fullback now.
It's probably more for Bailey Hodgson's sake. But to be honest I want to see him in first-grade before putting faith in him like that like a lot of other people are doing. He could be a flop for all we know.
 
Telegraph reporting Ponga has a clause in his contract that allows him to leave at the end of 2022 irrespective of whether the knights win the comp, needs to inform the club by June 1.

Let the speculation begin in earnest.
 
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