The NRL has reportedly given the Newcastle Knights and Kalyn Ponga a 4pm deadline to change their stance on representing the Kangaroos as a Kiwis’ bold poaching bid emerged.
The Daily Telegraph reported Newcastle and Ponga have been issued a deadline by the NRL to change their position on representative football or face potential sanctions.
It is understood the NRL have written to the Knights outlining the club and Ponga’s requirements for players to make themselves available for the Kangaroos.
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The NRL have set a 4pm Thursday September 26 deadline on the Knights and Ponga to change their stance.
The Knights have come under scrutiny from the NRL for backing Ponga after he released a statement explaining why he won’t be playing for the Kangaroos later this year.
The Knights said in a press release they “support the decision that Kalyn has made and will respect his request for no further commentary on this matter”, which is breaking the rules and conditions of his NRL playing contract.
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The deadline comes after it emerged that the New Zealand Rugby league tried to poach Ponga to play for the Kiwis, before he snubbed Australia.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported New Zealand made a secret approach to Ponga to pledge his allegiance to the Kiwis less than a year before he turned down the chance to play for Australia.
Former Kiwis coach and current Blues boss Michael Maguire tried to lure Ponga to play for New Zealand before last year’s Pacific Championships.
Ponga turned down the offer to play for the Kiwis, giving his continued ambitions to represent Queensland in State of Origin as his reason.
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Any player who represents tier one nations such as New Zealand or England is ineligible to play State of Origin.
If Ponga now wants to represent the Maroons in 2025 and beyond and not be suspended for the Knights’ premiership tilt next year he will need to make himself available to play in the Pacific Championships or present an injury that rules him out.
Source Agencies
