Big Pete
International Captain
- Mar 12, 2008
- 32,095
- 25,698
Till 2027.
I've seen a bit of discussion across the forum and thought this would be a more suitable location.
It's a fascinating story on a few fronts.
First you have Kalyn Ponga himself. It's not everyday you see stories written about 15-year old GPS Rugby players but Ponga was such an exceptional talent that he demanded the attention. He attracted interest from the NRL, AFL and Super Rugby before linking up with the Cowboys.
At the time it seemed odd he would spurn the Broncos to join the Cowboys but the family presented it as a homecoming so it seemed like they had his best interests at heart. While there's a risk to offering a 15-year old that would guarantee them Top 25 player money at a certain stage, Ponga shaped as one of those rare exceptions.
For a year it was one of those stories Rugby League fans kept in the back of their mind, but when 2015 rolled around many expected Ponga to set the MM Cup alright. The issue was there was no Kalyn Ponga. As it turned out Ponga had suffered a mysterious brain illness that had kept him sidelined for the better part of the season. For a moment there, it appeared that Ponga maybe another cautionary schoolboy tale.
Fast-forward to 2016, Ponga played a trialled against the Broncos and looked very impressive for an 18-year old. The collective Rugby League world drew a relieving breath and big things were expected ahead of the NYC season. However Ponga just didn't have the impact fans expected him to. There was this thought that he'd be the new Trbojevic or Barba just lighting the competition up but he was merely a good player in a good Cowboys NYC team. One could even argue he paled in comparison to Brandon Smith who was a weapon close to the line.
Once again doubt surrounded Ponga's career projections. However he was called into play the Broncos in an Elimination Semi and was one of the most dangerous players on the park in a famous victory over their rivals. It just seemed like Ponga needed that extra challenge to be motivated and he was going to live up to the hype.
It seemed like the Cowboys had found the heir to JT and all was right in the Rugby League world. Then within weeks, Ponga spurned the Cowboys and was off to the Knights on a monster deal. The move shocked everyone, but as details emerged it didn't paint Ponga in the best light. Supposedly Ponga was going to walk out on the code altogether to take the Lions up on their deal before the Knights came to the table with a ridiculous deal. Usually players would mull it over and work with the club to give them every opportunity to compete, but Ponga seemingly jumped at the deal.
One of the stories that did the rounds is how the Cowboys sold Ponga on re-signing with the club. Green presented Ponga with this vision where Ponga would come into the team, focus on his role at fullback and play off the back of JT. They weren't going to rush his development or give him too much responsibility he was going to learn to be a selfless player before becoming a leader. That pitch didn't interest Ponga, he wanted to be the team and have that freedom to fail which is why he went to the Knights.
To this day, it's still difficult to tell whether Ponga made a mistake. Paul Green famously went down with the ship, staying loyal to the same players that brought him success in 2015 and failing to bring through the likes of Brandon Smith, Viliame Kikau etc. among others. But if the story is true, the pitch was more than reasonable from Green and had Ponga's best interests at heart.
It brings me to another point about marquee talent. Rugby League fans have this vision that the game would be great if the best 16 players all represented 16 different clubs and everything was even around the competition. There's nothing wrong with that vision mind you, but there is the other perspective that some clubs simply cannot get the best out of their players. That as a code we rob ourselves when a James Tedesco or Roger Tuivasa-Sheck comfortably miss the finals year after year.
Now I wouldn't call Ponga a lost cause. He's still a good player but there's some obvious flaws in his game that he doesn't appear to be interested in fixing.
It's on Ponga, but it's also on Newcastle as well who still haven't found their footing yet and are constantly just signing stop-gap players. They have Anthony Milford coming into their team, potentially a good value signing but I fail to see how it helps them build as a team going forward. Newcastle have to treat the next five years as a premiership window, otherwise it's an utter waste.
I've seen a bit of discussion across the forum and thought this would be a more suitable location.
It's a fascinating story on a few fronts.
First you have Kalyn Ponga himself. It's not everyday you see stories written about 15-year old GPS Rugby players but Ponga was such an exceptional talent that he demanded the attention. He attracted interest from the NRL, AFL and Super Rugby before linking up with the Cowboys.
At the time it seemed odd he would spurn the Broncos to join the Cowboys but the family presented it as a homecoming so it seemed like they had his best interests at heart. While there's a risk to offering a 15-year old that would guarantee them Top 25 player money at a certain stage, Ponga shaped as one of those rare exceptions.
For a year it was one of those stories Rugby League fans kept in the back of their mind, but when 2015 rolled around many expected Ponga to set the MM Cup alright. The issue was there was no Kalyn Ponga. As it turned out Ponga had suffered a mysterious brain illness that had kept him sidelined for the better part of the season. For a moment there, it appeared that Ponga maybe another cautionary schoolboy tale.
Fast-forward to 2016, Ponga played a trialled against the Broncos and looked very impressive for an 18-year old. The collective Rugby League world drew a relieving breath and big things were expected ahead of the NYC season. However Ponga just didn't have the impact fans expected him to. There was this thought that he'd be the new Trbojevic or Barba just lighting the competition up but he was merely a good player in a good Cowboys NYC team. One could even argue he paled in comparison to Brandon Smith who was a weapon close to the line.
Once again doubt surrounded Ponga's career projections. However he was called into play the Broncos in an Elimination Semi and was one of the most dangerous players on the park in a famous victory over their rivals. It just seemed like Ponga needed that extra challenge to be motivated and he was going to live up to the hype.
It seemed like the Cowboys had found the heir to JT and all was right in the Rugby League world. Then within weeks, Ponga spurned the Cowboys and was off to the Knights on a monster deal. The move shocked everyone, but as details emerged it didn't paint Ponga in the best light. Supposedly Ponga was going to walk out on the code altogether to take the Lions up on their deal before the Knights came to the table with a ridiculous deal. Usually players would mull it over and work with the club to give them every opportunity to compete, but Ponga seemingly jumped at the deal.
One of the stories that did the rounds is how the Cowboys sold Ponga on re-signing with the club. Green presented Ponga with this vision where Ponga would come into the team, focus on his role at fullback and play off the back of JT. They weren't going to rush his development or give him too much responsibility he was going to learn to be a selfless player before becoming a leader. That pitch didn't interest Ponga, he wanted to be the team and have that freedom to fail which is why he went to the Knights.
To this day, it's still difficult to tell whether Ponga made a mistake. Paul Green famously went down with the ship, staying loyal to the same players that brought him success in 2015 and failing to bring through the likes of Brandon Smith, Viliame Kikau etc. among others. But if the story is true, the pitch was more than reasonable from Green and had Ponga's best interests at heart.
It brings me to another point about marquee talent. Rugby League fans have this vision that the game would be great if the best 16 players all represented 16 different clubs and everything was even around the competition. There's nothing wrong with that vision mind you, but there is the other perspective that some clubs simply cannot get the best out of their players. That as a code we rob ourselves when a James Tedesco or Roger Tuivasa-Sheck comfortably miss the finals year after year.
Now I wouldn't call Ponga a lost cause. He's still a good player but there's some obvious flaws in his game that he doesn't appear to be interested in fixing.
It's on Ponga, but it's also on Newcastle as well who still haven't found their footing yet and are constantly just signing stop-gap players. They have Anthony Milford coming into their team, potentially a good value signing but I fail to see how it helps them build as a team going forward. Newcastle have to treat the next five years as a premiership window, otherwise it's an utter waste.
