The Newcastle Knights are on the brink of a finals berth in the 2023 NRL season after a remarkable turnaround from a well-below-average start to the year.
On the back of four straight wins, the Knights now sit just one point off a top-eight spot and can continue the late surge for a finals spot due to a favourable final five games of the season.
With captain Kalyn Ponga being sat out of the 2023 State of Origin series to prevent another potential head injury, the Knights captain has elevated his form and lifted his side on the improbable run.
Ponga and the Knights can all but secure their spot in the NRL finals series if the star fullback can stay healthy, according to SEN’s Matty Johns.
“Very much it’s about Kalyn Ponga staying on the field,” Johns said on SEN 1170 The Round Up.
“Newcastle are one of those sides that when Kalyn’s in tip-top form his confidence just runs through the football side and all the players.
“But if something happens and he goes down with any sort of injury the n the confidence just as quickly can evaporate out of the side.”
Johns admitted he is surprised with the manner of the Knights’ turnaround due to the bleak outlook on the side a matter of weeks ago.
“Newcastle have come out of nowhere, their season was on life, Kalyn Ponga finds form, Newcastle wins four in a row, I’ ’m very confident they will play finals football,” Johns added.
“Looking at the ladder, we didn’t think a lot about that draw in Mudgee between Manly and Newcastle both sides sort of walked off a little solum.
“But that one point could be absolutely invaluable, particularly for Newcastle, (they) have a plus 72 points differential, that’s much better than most around those spots.”
The Knights could leapfrog into the top eight by the end of this round when they head to Perth to face the Dolphins on Saturday afternoon.