The Newcastle Knights could be without Kalyn Ponga for an extended period with Billy Slater now also sweating over the star fullback’s availability for the State of Origin decider.
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Ponga went down injured after a relatively innocuous tackle late in the second half of Newcastle’s 22-18 loss to Canberra, limping off with what Fox League’s James Hooper reported was a foot injury.
Ponga is set to undergo scans on Saturday, with the fullback now in serious doubt for Game 3 at Accor on July 9.
Should Ponga be ruled out, you would expect Brisbane’s Reece Walsh to come in as a direct replacement, although Dolphins speedster Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow could be another option to shift to fullback.
Former Maroons coach Kevin Walters called it a “devastating” blow for the Knights, who seemed to have turned a corner the week prior against the Dolphins only to struggle against the Raiders early on Friday night before staging a late comeback.
Ponga was spotted struggling to walk through the Knights sheds after he left the field and later in a moon boot when he went back onto the ground at fulltime.
That doesn’t look too good walking like that, when you can’t put any weight through the foot,” Walters said.
“That is not a good sign.”
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Knights coach Adam O’Brien didn’t have an update in his press conference outside of confirming Ponga would undergo scans and that it was not a repeat of the Lisfranc injury he had in 2024.
He did, however, seem to hint that it could be something serious when asked about the fact Ponga looked to be in serious discomfort leaving the field.
“He’s tough. He doesn’t come off for just about anything. You’ve got to basically drag him off,” O’Brien said.
Only making matters worse for Newcastle is the fact Fletcher Sharpe has been ruled out for the season after suffering a lacerated kidney and ruptured spleen in the win over the Dolphins.
