Newcastle wunderkind Kalyn Ponga hasn't reached anyplace adjacent his potential, but rugby league fable Andrew Johns believes helium tin assistance him get there.
Johns has returned to the alloy metropolis which helium was handed the keys to 24 years agone erstwhile helium brought the premiership trophy to the Hunter, and won different rubric successful 2001.
The Knights haven't tasted that occurrence successful 2 decades, but the instrumentality of the Eighth Immortal and the club's champion ever player, present successful a coaching role, has renewed anticipation of breaking the drought.
The subordinate who holds the cardinal to the team's success, though, isn't Johns anymore. It's Ponga.
"He's got truthful overmuch betterment successful him. I deliberation the sky's the bounds for Kalyn," Johns told Wide World of Sports aft officially clocking connected with the Knights this week.
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"We're conscionable scratching the aboveground (with Ponga).
"When you've got a subordinate similar Kalyn, 1 of those genuinely elite players, you person to besides amended the guys astir them to recognize what they're looking to do, which volition past assistance Kalyn's game."
And that's precisely what Johns plans to bash astatine the nine successful his caller role.
He's been brought successful to assistance caput manager Adam O'Brien get the champion retired of his spine players, including Ponga, playmaker Jake Clifford, and hooker Jayden Brailey.
Ponga is undoubtedly 1 of the NRL's elite young stars, but the Knights arsenic a full struggled to find cohesion successful onslaught successful 2021.
The 23-year-old fullback is astir to participate his 5th play with the Knights and it's 1 that holds important ramifications for him contractually.
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Andrew Johns returning to Knights
His woody runs to the extremity of 2024 but there's said to beryllium clauses which would let Ponga to permission the Hunter if helium helps the squad triumph a expansive last adjacent twelvemonth oregon the twelvemonth after.
With the Dolphins entering the NRL successful 2023, and a Rugby World Cup happening that aforesaid year, there's going to beryllium plentifulness of extracurricular involvement successful luring Ponga distant from Newcastle.
In the shorter term, there's speculation the Knights privation to determination Ponga from fullback to five-eighth successful an effort to afloat capitalise connected his endowment and kickstart a spluttering attack.
Johns isn't excessively fussed wherever Ponga lines up.
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"Fullback and five-eighth are precise akin successful the mode they play these days," helium said.
"The lone happening defensively, you're going to bash a batch much defence successful the beforehand enactment astatine five-eighth. But Kalyn is 1 of those players you could play anyplace connected the tract and helium volition play well.
"He's specified a peculiar player. I can't hold to beryllium moving with him and looking astatine his strengths… I don't truly spot galore weaknesses. But moving connected his game, that's truly exciting."
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The Knights person finished wrong the NRL's apical 8 the past 2 years but person been bundled retired of finals successful uninspiring manner some times.
This twelvemonth they were the 2nd worst attacking squad successful the competition, up of lone the dismal Bulldogs.
"I deliberation they enactment a batch of vigor into their defence, which past people your onslaught is going to suffer," Johns said.
He's acceptable to enactment intimately with the club's harvest of playmakers to hopefully inject immoderate spark connected the different broadside of the ball.
"Working connected strategies, erstwhile to pass, erstwhile to kick. How to bring retired the champion successful the players astir them. Pretty overmuch conscionable mentoring them connected halves play," helium said.
"I've ever had a rap connected Jake (Clifford). I watched him travel done the juniors and successful the little grades determination astatine the Cowboys. I ever thought he's a top-line half. I was implicit the satellite erstwhile helium went to Newcastle.
"I deliberation everyone's excited, the town, astir the mode they've improved the past fewer years. There's a existent buzz successful municipality truthful hopefully the boys tin deliver."
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