"Excited to play": Ponga reflects on Newcastle's stellar turnaround

The Newcastle Knights have enjoyed quite the rise up the ladder this season.

Having parted ways with Adam O’Brien after finishing last place last season and hired former Titans coach Justin Holbrook, there was very little expectation surrounding the Knights going into 2026.

But with a much-improved attack under the Roosters assistant coach, they have put up 14 wins, seeing them make finals and win their first away finals game since 2013.

And with their improvement in performance, Newcastle captain Kalyn Ponga believes the club’s best years are ahead of them.  

Ponga has been a focal point of that rise. Having had better luck on the injury front, the fullback has averaged 170 run metres whilst managing 20 line break assists and 14 try assists.

With their rise in form, the Queensland representative elected to remain, having signed a contract extension through to 2030.

Reflecting on their improvement, Ponga admitted this was the most he has felt engaged with the side throughout his 10 seasons with the club.

“It probably is the case,” he said on SEN’s Kick Off.

“I'm really happy. I think the environment that the club's created, the coaching staff have created, our younger boys have bought into is bringing the best out of anyone.

“I definitely feel that way. I'm excited to play my footy.

“I think everyone looks happy, and people are mentioning that.

“There's been some tougher years at the Knights, but I feel like the best years are definitely ahead of us, and I'm excited to be a part of that, to be honest.”

The Knights will face the Warriors at Eden Park as New Zealand’s biggest stadium hosts its first-ever NRL final.

Kick-off takes place 4:05pm AEST, with SEN League having live coverage of the match from 12pm, with Crunch Time NRL across our radio network and on the SEN app.

The winner of this clash will play Penrith in a preliminary final at Accor Stadium on September 27.