latest injury blow has exposed a glaring issue at the Newcastle Knights, with concerns mounting about what it means
for the club’s NRL season. The Knights confirmed on Monday that Ponga is set to undergo surgery and reportedly spend at
least three months on the sidelines after scans revealed a Lisfranc fracture in his right foot.
Ponga will have further consultations with medical specialists to determine his best course of action but will likely spend
at least 12 weeks on the sidelines. That means he’ll play no part in this years’s State of Origin series and is not likely to
make a return to the NRL until round 19 or 20 at the earliest.
It’s a devastating blow for the 2023 Dally M Medal winner and the Knights, who
have a massive chunk of their salary cap tied up in their captain and marquee star. Ponga is on a five-year, $1.4 million
per-season deal with Newcastle, meaning the club has $7 million tied up in just one player.
That’s left the club light in other areas such as their halves, with coach Adam
O’Brien unable to settle on his best combination so far this season. O’Brien has dropped and brought back in
Jackson Hastings and Jack Cogger alongside Tyson Gamble in the first seven rounds, but the Knights halves
have failed to get their attack clicking and now have to try and spark something without their best player.
Speaking about the situation on NRL 360 on Monday night, co-host Paul Kent said
he was worried the Knights could now be wooden spoon contenders without their talismanic skipper. “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…
