Knights in crisis: Ponga prepares to walk away, club set to move on from O'Brien
The Ponga camp have indicated to relevant parties that they would be willing to request a release at the end of the season if there is a suitable option available to them.
Knights sources told this masthead there is a willingness from some quarters of the club to explore the prospect of releasing Ponga from the final two years of his monster deal.
Such a move would allow the Knights to move young gun Fletcher Sharpe into his preferred fullback position and save 12-13 per cent of their salary cap to try and balance their roster.
With Dylan Brown joining the Knights next season on a record $13 million, 10-year deal, Newcastle would be able to hit the market in search of a halfback despite the lack of quality options currently available.
Ponga's name has been thrown up to European rugby clubs as well as the organisers of the lucrative breakaway R360 competition being mooted to start next year. There's also the appeal of a Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2027.
Kalyn's father Andre, who represents his son in negotiations, did not respond to this masthead's attempts to contact him.
The New Zealand-based rugby union agent the Ponga camp has engaged also did not respond to messages and calls on Monday.
The Knights have been privately bracing for the potential of Ponga seeking a release for some months.
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Ponga has previously indicated his desire to represent the All Blacks and was originally given a clause in his Knights contract that would enable him to pursue the possibility of switching codes.
In a 2018 TV interview, Ponga said: 'I think it's [The All Blacks] the pinnacle. Well, they are. They're the best sporting organisation in the world ... so to put that jersey on would be pretty special.'
The Knights removed that clause from his deal when he agreed to a lengthy and lucrative extension of his contract through until the end of 2027.
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They came in with a 10-year plan, that by 1998, 75 per cent of the Newcastle side would be locals. In 1997, we won the club's first premiership with 11 of the 17 players in the grand final team local juniors. It was the same number in 2001. The Knights are a development club, built from within because they just can't compete with richer, more powerful rivals. It's time to blow up the junior system and ask Waite and Onslow how to do it. Because the Knights have Brown arriving on a $13 million contract next year, when the club should never have to import a half or hooker. Places like Newcastle, the coalfields where I'm from, the Upper Hunter, Central Coast and Mid North Coast are rugby-league mad regions. But the Knights haven't produced a representative-class halfback since Jarrod Mullen came into the NRL in 2005. Danny Buderus was the last representative-level dummy half from the region, more than 20 years ago. The system is broken. Whoever the next coach of the Knights is, they're facing a huge challenge, and it will probably be years before they can challenge for premierships. And if Ponga leaves, it will just amplify the pressure on Brown. Be patient Newcastle fans. I feel for you. We're in for another rebuild. Why young halves need to study Tom Dearden Onto the footy, and the Dolphins should have beaten Cronulla last week. If Jeremy Marshall-King dived on the ball that Toby Rudolf batted dead, that result would have gone the other way. Even with Isaiya Katoa pulling the strings and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow coming back, I'm always drawn to Gorden Tallis' favourite line: forwards win the game; the backs decide by how much. The Dolphins are hurting up front, with Daniel Saifiti, Tom Gilbert, Felise Kaufusi and Tom Flegler – all representative forwards – sidelined. Given they're joined by Max Plath, Jack Bostock, Kodi Nikorima, Mark Nicholls and Kulikefu Finefeuiaki, that injury toll has me thinking Thursday night is a bridge too far for the home side. Like the Dolphins, North Queensland could easily have beaten the Bulldogs last weekend, and I think their Origin players will be freshened up this week for a fast, open game that favours attacking skills. I see Scott Drinkwater, Tom Dearden and Reece Robson getting the Cowboys home. And on Dearden, it's incredible to think how far he's come from his first few years at the Broncos. I watched him closely as a young talented half, and that wooden spoon run in 2020 seemed to break him – he just looked so devoid of any confidence, and he's admitted that. Then you look at the way Dearden, Todd Payten and the club have rebuilt him into the playmaker he is now. I think his Origin III showing will go down as one of Queensland's classic individual performances – just pure toughness and competitiveness, with Dearden's kicking game and ball playing improving out of sight.
