Opinion: Let’s chill on the callous criticism of KP

A prodigious talent who took the NRL by storm is now one of the more polarising figures in the game. But the criticism of Kalyn Ponga is unfair, writes Mat Barnes. 

A hum of anticipation filled the air on a balmy Townsville night in September 2016.

The North Queensland Cowboys were nearing the end of a valiant Premiership defence and faced their fierce rivals the Brisbane Broncos in an eagerly awaited Elimination Semi Final.

While much of the hype in the lead-up focused on their three previous encounters that were all decided by a single point – including their epic golden point Grand Final almost one year earlier – there was another story of interest doing the rounds.

Cowboys winger Antonio Winterstein had failed to overcome a troubling rib injury and Coach Paul Green was set to debut 18-year-old prodigy Kalyn Ponga in his place.

North Queensland trailed 8-nil early and desperately needed a spark to swing momentum back into their favour. With star halfback Jonathan Thurston keeled over in backplay, it was time for the debutant to announce himself on the big stage.

Cowboys hooker Jake Granville received the ball at dummy-half, from inside their own territory he darted left down the blindside before a slick sequence of short passing through Lachlan Coote’s hands found Ponga in open space on halfway.

He exploded down the left touchline covering, covering the first 25 metres in rapid pace, before unleashing a lightning trio of lateral left-foot steps that had Brisbane’s Darius Boyd wrong-footed, Ben Hunt over-running, and Jonus Pearson turned inside-out.

A subtle change of direction completed Pearson’s bamboozlement and left him sprawled on the deck, before a right-foot step on the spot busted a retreating Ben Hunt tackle for the second time.

The tryline was in sight and only a last ditch covering tackle by Broncos Captain Corey Parker in his 347th – and ultimately final NRL game – could prevent Ponga from scoring.

The Cowboys barged over for their opening try a minute later, won the match 26-20, and Kalyn Ponga officially had everybody’s attention.  

Click ahead to 18:45 in the embedded video below to check out Ponga’s play

Kalyn instantly became the hottest young prospect in the competition and before the year was out the Newcastle Knights had already pounced and captured his services on a five-year deal from the 2018 season.

The reportedly record NRL contract for a teenager came after only two games in the top flight and drew plenty of criticism from pundits and fans alike. But just like his debut, it did not take Ponga long to prove his worth.

At the conclusion of the 2018 season Kalyn had already represented Queensland in State of Origin, won the Rugby League Players’ Association Champions award, the Danny Buderus Medal, and was unfortunate to finish second in the Dally M polling behind Roger Tuiavasa-Sheck after missing Newcastle’s final two games with injury.

The Newcastle Knights finally had their marquee man and his star was on the rise. 

At 20 years of age Ponga was the poster boy for the NRL with his name, face and fancy footwork inescapable for followers of the game. His early success naturally generated great expectation and the glaring spotlight that followed brought even greater scrutiny.

In 2019 his form plateaued in a squad struggling to deal with the turmoil created by their fallout with coach Nathan Brown. Kalyn became an easy target for those that could not relate to him, his often easy-going, laid-back nature on the footy field was confused for a lack of effort and heart.

His detractors – often Knights fans – would take every opportunity to tear him down if he did not perform to the high standard set in 2018, completely ignoring the fact that he was still a young man searching for his own identity on and off the field. 

The pressure further intensified in 2020 when Newcastle made Ponga the NRL’s newest ‘Million Dollar Man’ via an upgraded deal that extended his contract to 2024.

Over the next two seasons, Kalyn played a pivotal role in leading Newcastle to consecutive finals series for the first time since 2003. His 18 tries and 28 try-assists over 34 games were more than a meaningful contribution for someone battling their own fair share of injuries throughout the turbulent Covid period.

Despite this he remained a much maligned figure and failed to live up to the expectations of his inflated pay packet in the eyes of many.

The persistent condemnation of Ponga is fuelled by impatience, ignorance and is indicative of the increasing ‘pile-on’ mentality in modern society. The reality is that Kalyn has done an admirable job with the cards he’s been dealt.

The system at the Newcastle Knights is not successful, they too are trying to find their identity and rebuild a culture that was ravaged by years of failure.

They possess a squad that fails to produce consistent effort on a weekly basis and Ponga suffers the brunt of his teammates’ shortcomings more than most.

He plays behind a forward pack that is regularly outmuscled and amongst a spine that has lacked any great deal of creativity or spark beside his own.

The onus continues to fall on him to dig his team out of a hole and when he fails, he is lambasted from pillar to post. 

Any star fullback in the NRL would suffer a similar fate if inserted into the current Newcastle setup. Vice-versa, Kalyn would flourish if he were plying his trade in a successful organisation where he was afforded the freedom to consistently play on the front foot, in a team with multiple focal points for the opposition defence – State of Origin this year is the prime example.

Ponga with a PERFECT pass ????#Origin pic.twitter.com/H0KDwaxrKA

— NRL (@NRL) June 8, 2022

In an environment where he had the opportunity to express himself, he proved influential with a hand in four of Queensland’s five tries to date. Yet people still chose to focus on his defensive deficiencies for both of Nathan Cleary’s tries in Game Two, completely overlooking the fact that the entire Maroons side were gassed at this point and the defensive efforts in the front line were even worse.

Admittedly this is an area of his game that does require improvement but more patience is needed. For context, he has missed less tackles at this stage of his career than the great Billy Slater.

Now signed with Newcastle until 2027, Ponga has declared his long-term commitment to the club and belief in the direction it is heading – but he needs support. The next 18 months are arguably the most important in his career.

If the Knights nail their recruitment, have a fortunate run with injuries and achieve complete commitment from the entire squad, then Kalyn will finally have the opportunity to fulfil his potential and taste club success in the process.

If this scenario does eventuate, maybe he will silence his critics once and for all.