The Newcastle Knights are set to be without Dally M winner Kalyn Ponga for at least eight weeks, and potentially the remainder of the season, after the superstar fullback suffered a foot injury on Sunday.
Ponga has been in standout form so far in 2024, sitting tied-4th on 17 points after seven rounds but his Knights currently languish in 15th on the ladder.
NRL great Cameron Smith says Ponga is heavily influential for Newcastle, but other players must stand up if the Knights are to make finals.
“It’s incredible the impact that Kalyn Ponga has on this footy side,” Smith told Breakfast with Vossy and Brandy.
“I look across their football side and they’ve got some capable players playing in other positions, so I think it’s time that everyone else in their footy side step up and stop relying on Kalyn to produce something because that’s what it looks like.
“When they get in a situation where things aren’t happening for them, or the other team is two tries up, everyone looks over to Kalyn and says, ‘Come on man, do something for us’.”
Smith added that Adam O’Brien’s consistent rotation of halves through the opening seven rounds isn’t allowing Newcastle to build chemistry with the players around them.
“It’s not just the combination between the halves, it’s hard to build a combination with your forwards and importantly your edge players… they’re the ones who work most closely with those halves,” Smith said.
“All those timings between those two players, more than anyone else, they’re the ones who create the opportunities for your outside men.
“They don’t look like they have the same sort of mindset or attitude that they took into those ten matches at the end of the year. It looks like they’re trying to be the knights of 2023… attack this year like it’s a new opportunity.”
The Knights have cycled through halves combinations of Jackson Hastings, Tyson Gamble, and Jack Cogger to start 2024.
Newcastle next week take on the high-flying Dolphins at Suncorp on Sunday afternoon.