After the drama and distress of being sent off in Queensland’s 22-20 loss to NSW last Wednesday, Kalyn Ponga was happy to be home again alongside his Knights team-mates.
The Newcastle captain was not at his best, and neither were the Knights, but they did enough to outlast Parramatta 28-22 at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday to register their fourth straight victory.
Sitting fourth behind the Panthers, Warriors and Roosters, the Knights have already won more games (eight), more games at home (four), and scored more points (340) this year than they did in the entire 2025 season, when they finished last.
Ponga was sent off for a shoulder charge on NSW winger Tolutau Koula in the 57th minute of the State of Origin opener at Accor Stadium. Queensland led 20-6 at the time but the Blues stormed home to steal the game and a 1-0 series lead.
The 28-year-old Queensland and Newcastle fullback avoided suspension, allowing him to back up for the Knights against the Eels, and is available for Origin II at the MCG on June 17.
Ponga keen to move past send-off
“Physically, I actually felt pretty good out there, which is a credit to our staff, the way they handled the last 48 hours,” Ponga said.
“It’s all mentally. The build-up of Origin, obviously the way Origin unfolded, then to just park it and mentally prepare for another game, I think now that I’m older, I’m probably better at doing it, but it’s all mental.
“I was excited to get back around the boys, around my team-mates.
Croker saves the try and saves the game
“Probably selfishly, I wanted to play with my mates. I didn’t want to sit on the sidelines, I wanted to be out there.
“The way we’re going, the excitement in the four walls, I was excited to get back in there.
“I think every week I could credit them. The way we’re playing our footy shows that, so I think every week I could credit them for making me excited about my footy, for sure.”
The Knights led 24-10 midway through the second half, then 28-16 when Fletcher Sharpe put Fletcher Hunt over for a try 10 minutes from the end, but staggered to the finish line.
Parramatta cut the deficit to six with a converted try to Isaiah Iongi in the 73rd minute, and Newcastle needed Mat Croker to hold Kitione Kautoga up over the line in the 79th minute to secure the win in front of a crowd of 23,001.
Ponga said the final minutes were stressful, and the Knights had to learn from their mistakes to challenge Melbourne at AAMI Park next Friday night.
Fletcher Hunt Try
“We made some errors, and I definitely played my part in that as well,” Ponga said.
“Defensively, in the second half, we had to work pretty hard, and I think there will be some pictures where we did that due to our errors, but it is nice to finish the game with two points.
“Obviously a lot of lessons to be learnt, and probably just simplifying our footy. Definitely next week heading into the Storm, we've got to keep it simple, but to have the two points, and learn some things, is a nice feeling.”
