Kalyn Ponga says he feels ready to step into the high-intensity State of Origin arena despite copping another head knock in Newcastle's 26-6 loss to Cronulla.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Playing just his fifth NRL game this season, Ponga was sent for a head-injury assessment in the third minute at Coffs Harbour on Saturday after bouncing off Sharks winger Ronaldo Mulitalo.
In concerning scenes given his concussion history, Ponga stayed lying on the turf for a few seconds before returning to the defensive line and subsequently being pulled from the field.
He was able to return to the action 11 minutes later after passing concussion tests, and while he scored a try to help Newcastle level at six-all, it was to little avail as Cronulla went on to score a further three unanswered tries and dominate the game.
"I stayed down a little bit just from the contact, but in terms of my head and the concussion side of things I felt really good," Ponga said.
"I've been through this more than enough times, I know what the procedure is ... and I felt really good. I felt confident to come back."
Ponga missed five matches after suffering a nasty head knock in the opening minute back in round two.
He travelled to Canada for advanced neurological tests before being given the all-clear by specialists to return.
The fullback turned five-eighth came off the bench and played 53 minutes in his return appearance before playing 80 against Parramatta in what was a horror individual performance.
He bounced back with a handy showing against Gold Coast last week and played 69 minutes against the Sharks.
A seven-time Maroons representative, Ponga is expected to be picked by Queensland and said he felt ready to play Origin if called upon despite his tumultuous 2023 campaign.
'I'm excited, it's a privilege if I do get picked," he said.
"I know what my job is and role is in that team.
"I'm always confident when I put that jersey on."
Knights coach Adam O'Brien was confident his marquee player would handle the step up.
"100 per cent," he said. "I'm excited for him to go away and get into to camp and go out and play well.
"You always want your players playing at the highest level and he'll bring a lot of that back."
MORE KNIGHTS NEWS
O'Brien's immediate focus was on turning Newcastle's fortunes around after Saturday's lacklustre performance.
"We need to get this team back on track next week," he said.
The Sharks led 12-6 at half-time after backs Will Kennedy and Ronaldo Mulitalo cut through Newcastle's right-edge in the sixth and 26th minutes respectively.
Ponga crossed for his try in the 19th minute off the back of some strong runs from the Saifiti brothers.
The Knights went close to scoring on another couple of occasions in the first half, but they conceded another try to fall 18-6 behind four minutes after the break.
Cronulla kicked a penalty goal to move 14 points ahead in the 54th minute after Newcastle were penalised for being offside.
Sharps prop Royce Hunt then barged over in the 69th minute to all but seal the result.
"There was one team out there that had a whole lot of spark about it and looked very fast. We looked slow and in second gear," O'Brien said.
"At 12-6, we looked like we were in it, but once they got that next one ... we just couldn't go with them.
"They were very good at slowing us down and we were very good at letting them play it fast."
The loss was Newcastle's sixth in 11 games and left them in 11th position. Cronula, who were far from great - making 16 errors - moved equal on points with competition leaders Penrith and South Sydney.
They weren't embarrassed, but Newcastle made some rookie errors that did not help their chances of a comeback.
They were clunky in attack and at times did not seem on the same page.
On multiple occasions players appeared to be arguing with each other, including an incident where Ponga failed to play the ball while verbally spraying teammate Tyson Gamble.
"I've got to take complete ownership for that, I honestly thought it was [the] last [tackle]," Ponga said. "I was spraying the dummy-half for the pass. Completely my fault."
Daniel Saifiti was another player to noticeably blast a teammate in the first half, but both he and Ponga said they were simply trying to maintain team standards.
"You have to hold each other accountable," Ponga said. "That happens in every team ... at the end of the day, you're just trying to get the best out of each other."
Newcastle host Manly at home next Sunday.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Join the discussion in the comment section below.
Find out how to register or become a subscriber here.
