Fears have emerged the Knights could plummet out of finals contention and win the wooden spoon after losing the NRL’s most influential player in Kalyn Ponga.
The superstar fullback has been ruled out for three months after suffering a Lisfranc injury against the Bulldogs which requires surgery.
The 26-year-old won the Dally M Medal in 2023 and earns around $1.4 million per-season, leaving a gaping hole in the Newcastle outfit.
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The Daily Telegraph’s Paul Kent holds grave fears for the remainder of Newcastle’s 2024 campaign, currently sitting in 15th place with only two wins.
Adam O’Brien’s team made a stunning 10-win charge to the finals last year, but Ponga’s now out until at least Round 19 and the Knights will have to make the top eight without him.
“If they make the finals they have done better than par, I don’t think they can make the semis but I think they are a chance (of winning the wooden spoon),” Kent said on NRL360 on Monday night.
“They have lost the dominance of Kalyn, they are unsettled in the halves and are still trying to find their groove. Whatever they were doing last year hasn’t been re-found this year.
“Now they have got to go away and readjust their style, they are going to have to find a new style because they won’t have this guy for three months.
“They have to play differently, they have three trying to get into two at the moment in the halves, they have to go away and find a new blueprint.”
The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield added: “I think they are gone, they cannot recover from the position they are in, they might get a win or two, but yes I have (put the pen through them)”.
Rothfield went on to explain Knights head of football Peter Parr insisted head coach Adam O’Brien was receiving the full backing of the club.
O’Brien signed a contract extension which will see him remain at the helm of the Newcastle club until the end of 2027 earlier this year.
“The interesting thing is, he’s still on his old contract. His new three-year deal doesn’t start until 2025, so they are not even thinking of a change at this stage,” Rothfield said.
However, NRL360 Braith Anasta held concerns about Newcastle’s reliance on Ponga and believed teams can’t win a premiership through one man.
O’Brien made it clear when he re-signed in February bringing silverware to the Hunter was his goal, however the league legend is unsure the current Knights group can achieve the feat.
Ponga set for lengthy injury absence | 00:57
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“That’s a concern for me, I don’t think any club can win a competition off the back of just one player, teams are too good,” Anasta said.
“So they depend on him that much, you need him in the side, but you can’t win a premiership with just one player you depend on.
“Look at Jarryd Hayne when he carried Parramatta, they still couldn’t win the competition… he can win games but he can’t win a premiership.”
Rothfield agreed and said: “I think he’s the most influential player at one club in the competition… he leads so much of that club and that’s why he earns ridiculous money”.
Meanwhile, O’Brien’s halves pairings have also come under the microscope with the halfback merry-go-round continuing in Round 7.
After initially replacing Jackson Hastings, Jack Cogger was dropped ahead of the Bulldogs’ clash, while Tyson Gamble kept his spot.
Newcastle have used three different pairings this season and O’Brien is yet to settle on his best No.6 and No.7 so far in 2024.
“The problem is they spent so much money on their fullback, there wasn’t much money to go and get a halfback… managing their cap,” Kent said.
“They’ve just got to go away and simplify their footy. Don’t finesse their way to a win, don’t miss your tackle, all that sort of stuff.”
Source Agencies
