Big questions are being asked of Newcastle’s coaching and medical staff over why injured captain Kalyn Ponga was allowed to play on Sunday, with the star full-back now facing season-ending surgery.
Ponga was suffering from a hip injury that led to the loss against the Bulldogs and was later ruled out of the game with a foot injury, seen in the stands wearing a moon boot.
news corporation has reported that Ponga will now face a two-month layoff, which will effectively rule him out of State of Origin for Queensland, or the entire season if he requires surgery.
This comes after Ponga himself admitted he was far from 100 per cent during an interview before warming up for the game against the Bulldogs at Accor Stadium.
“Yes, it’s okay, they put a needle in me right now and I hope it will last me until halftime, but the body feels good,” he said.
Kalyn Ponga was battling a hip injury heading into the game against the Bulldogs and admitted she needed a painkiller shot just to get on the field.
The worst-case scenario presented itself for Knights fans: Ponga suffered a new injury and is now facing season-ending surgery.
Former Melbourne Storm and Roosters premiership winner Cooper Cronk said before the match Ponga’s comments were cause for concern.
“He’s not 100 percent. He just said, ‘Hopefully he’ll do well until halftime.’ That tells me he’s obviously on some medication or something to help him get through it,” he said.
Former Broncos star Corey Parker added, “not the words you want to hear from your captain before the game.”
Knights coach Adam O’Brien was surprised at the time to hear Ponga’s comments but dismissed any concerns about his star defender.
“After that, from the looks of it, I’m more confident than him,” he said.
‘Looking at what he’s done during the week, he’s actually done more than when he wasn’t injured.
“So no, it’ll be fine, buddy.”
Losing Ponga for this season would be a devastating blow for the Knights who are struggling to replicate the form that saw them play in the NRL finals in 2023.
Unfortunately for Knights fans, Ponga was unwell, although the club insists it is a “rare” ligament that is damaged and not a serious Lisfranc injury or anything to do with his hip.
‘Nothing to do with the hip pointer. “It’s in the foot, in a ligament in the foot,” O’Brien said after the game.
‘As far as I know, it’s quite rare, so it’s not a good sign for us. “It’s not good, we’ll know (more) tomorrow.”
That has led many football greats and fans to question why the clearly injured Ponga was allowed to play in the first place, including former Penrith and New South Wales Origin enforcer Mark Geyer.
“It was obvious he was injured, not just his hip, but now he’s injured his foot as well,” he said on Triple M’s Mick & MG in the Morning.
‘Fortunately they have ruled out a Lisfranc [joint] injury, which is a pretty serious ligament injury that could keep you out for years.
“But honestly, when you see a guy run out of the tunnel to go to a game with some sort of pronounced limp, I don’t know why he played.
“For the life of me I don’t know.”
NRL great Mark Geyer has joined a chorus of fans questioning why Ponga was allowed to play when he was clearly injured.
Knights coach Adam O’Brien was even surprised by Ponga’s comments before the game about only being able to make it until halftime.
His co-host Mick Molloy said someone at the Knights had to be responsible for the decision.
“I would have thought that’s pretty bad management and heads should roll,” he said.
‘Someone from the medical department who has given the go-ahead.
‘A guy limping onto the battlefield doesn’t look good. I don’t know what you can expect.’
Knights fans also exploded at the decision and wondered why Ponga didn’t rest to get his body back to 100 percent.
“I should never have played in the first place, I already had hip problems,” one posted.
“I’m no RL expert, but I don’t understand why you wouldn’t rest your best player in Ponga and allow him to get back to 100% fitness. In my opinion, that’s just dumb player management so early in the season.” season,” questioned another.
“I think some serious questions need to be asked about who decided that Ponga was right to go today. He never was. So instead of missing one or two games, he stands a chance of missing many more,” added another.