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- Oct 12, 2013
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[h=1]Johnathan Thurston says teenage sensation Kalyn Ponga will one day dominate the NRL[/h]
JOHNATHAN Thurston has rated teenager Kalyn Ponga among the best talents he has seen and believes he gives the Cowboys a playmaker who can one day dominate the NRL.
Thurston’s assessment will come as a crushing blow for the Broncos, who had Ponga tied to a scholarship before he was poached by the Cowboys two years ago.
Eager to temper the hype surrounding Ponga, the Cowboys secretly rolled out the 17-year-old in an NRL trial in Bundaberg last month and he impressed against the Broncos.
Thurston is aware of the expectation mounting around Ponga and believes he is a work in progress, but says he has rarely seen a more gifted player in 15 years in the NRL.
“Talent-wise, Kalyn is one of the best I have ever seen,” said the Maroons ace.
“In saying that he is still a kid, he is still learning the game and the club is managing him accordingly.
“We just need you blokes (the media) to lay off him and leave him alone so he doesn’t crash and burn like a lot of the young fellas do.
“He’s got a lot of hard work in front of him, but he’s certainly got the skill level to play in the halves.”
Just 12 months ago, Ponga’s footballing career was at the crossroads after the Australian Schoolboys sensation suffered a career-threatening brain infection.
The quick-stepping fullback or five-eighth suffered a minor fracture to his skull which became infected. He missed seven months of football, but within weeks of his return, Ponga was terrorising rivals in the NRL under-20 competition.
Despite being three years younger than many of his opponents, Ponga scored eight tries in as many games, prompting Cowboys coach Paul Green to include him in training sessions with the senior squad.
Ponga is so talented the Cowboys are prepared to lose Lachlan Coote to blood him next season and Thurston has no doubt the teenager will handle the NRL.
“Mentally I don’t think he is there yet, reading the game, he has a lot to learn with the style of footy we play,” Thurston said.
“But the talent is certainly there. He is only 17 and the way that we manage him at the Cowboys, he will be around for a long time.”
Former player manager Clint Zammit first spotted Ponga as a 14-year-old and was the first player he signed when he joined the Cowboys as their recruitment chief two years ago.
At 82kg and 183cm, Ponga has more growing to do and Zammit believes it is only a matter of time before he flourishes in first grade.
“I’ve watched thousands of kids over the years and Kalyn is up there with the best,” Zammit said.
“I told (Cowboys coach Paul Green) he is the first kid I will sign to this club.
“He had a Broncos scholarship but he was coming off-contract and I was able to convince him to join the Cowboys which was a coup for us.
“You see the special ones straight away and he’s the best kid I’ve seen. He ticks every box. He has great balance, he has skill, he has game awareness, he has a superb work ethic and most of all, he has the ability to play tough.
“I honestly can’t fault Kalyn. Some young kids get cocky but he is humble, smart and willing to learn. He will train with the NRL squad then go off and hang around the kids he went to school with.
“The good ones can go up an age group and dominate. Kalyn can go up two or three and dominate just like (Cowboys forward) Jason Taumalolo, which is a sign of his talent.”
Ponga has Kiwi heritage but Zammit is confident the attacking sensation will eventually set his sights on playing for Queensland.
“If I was a betting man, I’d say he will choose the Maroons,” he said. “That’s up to him, he has ties to both (New Zealand and Queensland) but I know the family quite well and I think he’ll lean towards Queensland.’’
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/teams/cowboys/johnathan-thurston-says-teenage-sensation-kalyn-ponga-will-one-day-dominate-the-nrl/news-story/14a9a69beb54e9362b5338fb06f82ba2
or
[h=1]BRONCOS SIGN BOYD'S SUCCESSOR[/h]
[h=4]Brisbane has signed the kid touted to become the club’s next superstar fullback.[/h]Corey Allan, 17, has starred in the NYC under-20s competition for the Bronocs and is believed to have the goods to carry Brisbane’s success a long way in to the future.
Several clubs had been chasing the Queensland under 18 fullback with the Broncos expected to announce his re-signing in the coming days.
“Corey was in hot demand but has decided to stay at the Broncos,” Allan’s manager Sam Ayoub said.
“He is a special talent – not many 17-year-olds play in the NYC against kids three years older than them.”
Allan is a Marsden High School student, the former school of Australian skipper Cameron Smith and dual international Israel Folau.
http://www.insidesport.com.au/league/news/broncos-sign-boyds-successor--433147
JOHNATHAN Thurston has rated teenager Kalyn Ponga among the best talents he has seen and believes he gives the Cowboys a playmaker who can one day dominate the NRL.
Thurston’s assessment will come as a crushing blow for the Broncos, who had Ponga tied to a scholarship before he was poached by the Cowboys two years ago.
Eager to temper the hype surrounding Ponga, the Cowboys secretly rolled out the 17-year-old in an NRL trial in Bundaberg last month and he impressed against the Broncos.
Thurston is aware of the expectation mounting around Ponga and believes he is a work in progress, but says he has rarely seen a more gifted player in 15 years in the NRL.
“Talent-wise, Kalyn is one of the best I have ever seen,” said the Maroons ace.
“In saying that he is still a kid, he is still learning the game and the club is managing him accordingly.
“We just need you blokes (the media) to lay off him and leave him alone so he doesn’t crash and burn like a lot of the young fellas do.
“He’s got a lot of hard work in front of him, but he’s certainly got the skill level to play in the halves.”
Just 12 months ago, Ponga’s footballing career was at the crossroads after the Australian Schoolboys sensation suffered a career-threatening brain infection.
The quick-stepping fullback or five-eighth suffered a minor fracture to his skull which became infected. He missed seven months of football, but within weeks of his return, Ponga was terrorising rivals in the NRL under-20 competition.
Despite being three years younger than many of his opponents, Ponga scored eight tries in as many games, prompting Cowboys coach Paul Green to include him in training sessions with the senior squad.
Ponga is so talented the Cowboys are prepared to lose Lachlan Coote to blood him next season and Thurston has no doubt the teenager will handle the NRL.
“Mentally I don’t think he is there yet, reading the game, he has a lot to learn with the style of footy we play,” Thurston said.
“But the talent is certainly there. He is only 17 and the way that we manage him at the Cowboys, he will be around for a long time.”
Former player manager Clint Zammit first spotted Ponga as a 14-year-old and was the first player he signed when he joined the Cowboys as their recruitment chief two years ago.
At 82kg and 183cm, Ponga has more growing to do and Zammit believes it is only a matter of time before he flourishes in first grade.
“I’ve watched thousands of kids over the years and Kalyn is up there with the best,” Zammit said.
“I told (Cowboys coach Paul Green) he is the first kid I will sign to this club.
“He had a Broncos scholarship but he was coming off-contract and I was able to convince him to join the Cowboys which was a coup for us.
“You see the special ones straight away and he’s the best kid I’ve seen. He ticks every box. He has great balance, he has skill, he has game awareness, he has a superb work ethic and most of all, he has the ability to play tough.
“I honestly can’t fault Kalyn. Some young kids get cocky but he is humble, smart and willing to learn. He will train with the NRL squad then go off and hang around the kids he went to school with.
“The good ones can go up an age group and dominate. Kalyn can go up two or three and dominate just like (Cowboys forward) Jason Taumalolo, which is a sign of his talent.”
Ponga has Kiwi heritage but Zammit is confident the attacking sensation will eventually set his sights on playing for Queensland.
“If I was a betting man, I’d say he will choose the Maroons,” he said. “That’s up to him, he has ties to both (New Zealand and Queensland) but I know the family quite well and I think he’ll lean towards Queensland.’’
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/teams/cowboys/johnathan-thurston-says-teenage-sensation-kalyn-ponga-will-one-day-dominate-the-nrl/news-story/14a9a69beb54e9362b5338fb06f82ba2
or
[h=1]BRONCOS SIGN BOYD'S SUCCESSOR[/h]
[h=4]Brisbane has signed the kid touted to become the club’s next superstar fullback.[/h]Corey Allan, 17, has starred in the NYC under-20s competition for the Bronocs and is believed to have the goods to carry Brisbane’s success a long way in to the future.
Several clubs had been chasing the Queensland under 18 fullback with the Broncos expected to announce his re-signing in the coming days.
“Corey was in hot demand but has decided to stay at the Broncos,” Allan’s manager Sam Ayoub said.
“He is a special talent – not many 17-year-olds play in the NYC against kids three years older than them.”
Allan is a Marsden High School student, the former school of Australian skipper Cameron Smith and dual international Israel Folau.
http://www.insidesport.com.au/league/news/broncos-sign-boyds-successor--433147
