Kalyn Ponga showed he was tough but the Knights didn’t display too much intelligence in allowing him to remain on the field when he was clearly injured and incapacitated at McDonald Jones Stadium on Thursday night.
The Newcastle star was a passenger after injuring his hip midway through the first half but coach Adam O’Brien kept Ponga on the park and the Roosters capitalised to surge to the lead and went on to win a 22-20 cliffhanger.
Ponga was better but still below his best in the second half but the Roosters powered to victory to consign the Knights to their fourth loss from six starts in 2024.
The Roosters were written off as underdogs after going into the game without captain James Tedesco and Sam Walker due to head knocks and Dominic Young for dishing one out with a high tackle but they improved to a 3-3 record after avoiding a third straight defeat.
‘It’s embarrassing’: Joey fumes over Ponga playing on
Knights Immortal Andrew Johns couldn’t believe Newcastle let Ponga remain in the contest when he was clearly hampered by his hip.
“Surely someone has to make the decision about Kalyn Ponga and get him off the field,” Johns fumed on Nine commentary. “He can’t get off the ground (to make a tackle).
“The decision has to be taken away from the player.”
Ponga barely touched the ball in attack and was a liability in defence but the Knights refused to replace him, hoping he could get to the half-time break without costing his team too much.
He improved in the second half after receiving treatment during the break but was still not his usual effective self and the damage had been done on the scoreboard which ultimately proved decisive.
“He’s very sore. It was a remarkable job what he’s done for us. He was brave, tough. No one could ever question that kid’s toughness. I’m amazed,” O’Brien said.
“I was thinking please battle on. I kept a close eye on him and we knew the kicking, we had to change the kick plan a little bit. He wasn’t able to do any of the general play kicking.
“I could see he was in some discomfort and, speaking to the medical people on the sideline, they said we’ll give it a crack at half-time to try to get it going but I can tell now by his face, he’s pale, he’s in a lot of pain.
“He’s experienced. He knows what he’s capable of so I do leave it a bit up to him.”
His opposite number, Joey Manu, was outstanding for the Roosters, deputising in the role with Tedesco out, registering a huge tally of 349 running metres, including 145 post-contact and 140 from kick returns, while creating a couple of tries and breaking 11 tackles.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson was not surprised and didn’t lump too much praise on Manu in the post-match media conference when prompted, perhaps not wanting to reignite the debate over who should be his permanent fullback.
Hot and cold night for both teams
The Roosters were dreadful in the early stages, with Jackson Hastings stepping over from close range through some paper-thin defence.
After a dopey penalty was conceded in possession by Angus Crichton when he ran through the markers while getting back onside, the Roosters sunk even lower when they failed to do a line drop-out quickly enough to go 8-0 down.
The Roosters scored from their first venture into the home side’s red zone when Manu lobbing a precision pass for Daniel Tupou to cross the stripe in the corner.
Ponga collided with the big Tongan as he scored and initially there were fears he had copped a head knock but it was from the resulting kick-off where he damaged his hip, immediately wincing in pain after putting boot to ball.
Roosters hooker Brandon Smith and Manu combined to put Luke Keary into space and Victor Radley backed up to put the visitors in front.
And with Ponga unable to get up after making a tackle on the half-hour mark, Smith strolled through the gigantic gap at marker to make it 16-8.
Newcastle managed to cut the deficit to two points by half-time when English forward Kai Pearce-Paul pierced poor defence to set up Bradman Best.
“We ended up getting some momentum there to get us to a good half-time score,” Robinson said.
The Roosters suffered a setback when interchange forward Sitili Tupouniua had to be replaced after he produced a bell-ringer hit on Dane Gagai which forced the ball free only for referee Gerard Sutton to rule the play null and void because the penalty on the previous play had to be reviewed for possible foul play.
Newcastle thought they’d hit the front in the 58th minute when Jack Cogger spun the ball wide for Gagai to touch down just inside the right cornerpost but Keary was taken out by a decoy runner so the Bunker kyboshed the try.
Pearce-Paul continued making an impact in his impressive first season in the NRL when he crunched Lindsay Collins close to the try line to force the ball free. The Roosters challenged the knock-on ruling because Collins was clocked in the face by Jacob Saifiti over the top but they did not get a penalty because it happened after he’d lost the ball.
“Lindsay Collins knocks the ball on. We acknowledge there’s some slight contact although it does not affect the knock-on. Challenge unsuccessful,” was Bunker official Chris Butler’s verdict.
Trent Robinson was furious after the ruling was made, clearly calling “bullshit” on the play.
Saifiti will probably get charged by the match review committee on Friday morning but it will be of little comfort to the Roosters who got no benefit from his indiscretion when it mattered.
On the back of a Radley break created by prop Terrell May, Tupou manoeuvred his way over for his second four-pointer 15 minutes from time and the sideline conversion from Joseph Suaalii made it 22-14.
Bench utility Phoenix Crossland, who should have been on the field much earlier when Ponga was a passenger, set up a try to Adam Elliott to bring the Knights within two points with three minutes left but the Roosters were able to hold on by the skin of their rare proverbial teeth.
It was the Roosters’ 13th win in their past 15 encounters with Newcastle while for the Knights, it continued their winless record in Thursday night matches on home turf.
The player wearing the No.3 jersey for the Roosters was booed as he led his team out onto the field. The player was celebrating his 300th NRL match but it was two more than he should have been allowed after recently being granted permission to return despite being ordered to financially compensate his former wife by a civil court after being found guilty of sexual assault allegations.
wilbas
Roar Rookie
I've never considered restart count after games....yes...why not.. It is so hard to get back 10 metres per tackle and a set has a team breathing hard ,...but to drop 12 tackles and then 15 on a side is impossible to counter...Only a weak attack or fumble can stop a try...I can handle when an error is made the ref pulls the offside caper .
The Barry
Roar Guru
Sister cities !
The Barry
Roar Guru
He’s playing for Newcastle - does that make him a Geordie once removed…?
The Barry
Roar Guru
:laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
Who's down with KPP? Yeah, The Barry! What area of England is he from? Please let him be Geordie by Nature.
Dutski
Roar Guru
And Saifiti was subsequently charged. I don't know how it wasn't a penalty.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
Schuster is a star , a shooting star which is heading the wrong way.
Bonza
Roar Rookie
Fair point. Maybe scrap the video, lazy defenders and O'Brien form a circle and then kick the person in front up the backside.
Choppy Zezers
Roar Rookie
I think we should contact Dorothy and see if she can hook us up with Wizard of Oz. The knights need a brain, courage and heart. Till then they just keep skipping along in this ridiculous fantasy land.
Joe
Roar Rookie
O'Brien should have taken Ponga off to get needled and put Phoenix Crossland in (instead of saving him for the last 10 mins) so he shouldn't be saying too much to his players. Ponga was the one to make the tackle and couldn't get back up to be at marker allowing Smith to take off in the first place.
Joe
Roar Rookie
Especially when they had Phoenix Crossland on the bench who they then only brought in for the last 10 mins. I think the coaching team should take a lot of blame for that loss for their interchanges last night.
Ellie
Roar Rookie
There's still some fanny's still operating.
Albo
Roar Rookie
And he could create more problems if he actually looked to set up his supports with a pass ! He did it once only for Tupou with a resultant try. Seems he doesn't look to pass it until he can run no further with it ?
Albo
Roar Rookie
Probably get dropped again next week ?
Bonza
Roar Rookie
A word of advice to Elliot, Lucas and a Saif - get to the video session early, grab a seat at the back and keep your head down. Smith waltzing through them to score was a soft try in the the Under 7s and O'Brien will be understandably ask "What the F was that?"
Tony
Roar Guru
:thumbup:
Andrew01
Roar Rookie
True. He is the only one with two brothers who have played in the NRL? ...That's what you meant right? :silly:
Gary Russell-Sharam
Roar Rookie
I picked the Knights in this match, even though I am normally a Roosters supporter. My reason for this is I am vehemently against the return of Jennings. I am normally a bloke that says if you've done the crime you do your time and then if you do your time you should have a chance at redemption. However Jennings has failed in this and should not be given a chance at redemption. On the other matter of Ponga remaining on the field, I'm in agreement with Joey, they should have taken him off immediately. he was a passenger. The Knights lack a good halves pairing and that is obvious watching Ponga as first receiver in the early part of the match, he was used as a halfback most of the time. I know that he is gifted but he is a fullback, I have no doubt that he could play halfback or five eight, but he needs to stay as a fullback to at least give his halves a chance to find their feet, and run off them as a good fullback should do. If they are determined to use this type of play, look to get a gifted full back to replace Ponga and then let him play in the halves. And I agree that the knights need to look for better halves than they have got at the moment.
Tony
Roar Guru
Run metres isn't the only thing that separates Jennings from the rest of the Roosters back 5
Andrew01
Roar Rookie
Roosters back 5 stats... Spot the odd man out. Manu: 29 runs 307m Tupou: 22 runs 232m Suaalii: 19 runs 195m Pauga: 13 runs 124m oh, and Jennings: 8 runs 57m