davi
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Kalyn Ponga decides he wants to aspire to play for Queensland and Australia one day. Sorry Kiwi's.
"THE Kangaroos appear to have landed the first blow ahead of next week’s trans-Tasman Test with the Kiwis conceding defeat in the chase for Cowboys wonderkid Kalyn Ponga.
The Courier Mail can reveal New Zealand management has been informed Ponga will pledge his allegiance to Queensland and Australia.
Ponga, whose father Andre is from New Zealand, is eligible to play for both countries but is yet to play senior representative football.
The Kiwis had their eye on the teenage young gun for the season-ending World Cup and he would have come into contention the May 6 Test in Canberra.
He may have been called into an expanded Kiwi squad for some experience before the end-of-year-tournament, but also to force his hand on eligibility and keep him away from the Aussies.
But Kiwi management revealed on Monday they had been told Ponga will not play for New Zealand.
While the Kiwis have been notified of Ponga’s decision, he is yet to inform Maroons coach Kevin Walters.
Walters did not select Ponga for this year’s Emerging Origin camp as he left the 19-year-old to ponder his representative future and said he would not pressure Ponga for an answer.
“I haven’t heard anything,” Walters said.
“We have left Kalyn alone. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do.
“We’re not going to force him into anything.
“He’s got to go where his heart is and who he feels the most allegiance to. That’s where he belongs.”
Ponga has been the centre of an international tug of war since bursting on to the scene in the under-20s.
He decided to not play representative football last year after both the Junior Kiwis and Kangaroos planned to pick him and will do the same in 2017.
The Queensland Rugby League has a policy of not selecting players for the Maroons under-20s that have played five NRL games in a season.
Ponga played his fifth NRL match of the season in last Saturday’s win against Newcastle, the club he will join next year on a multi-million dollar deal."
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...d/news-story/3b706b62e46a562a2539c2a2517bcf36
"THE Kangaroos appear to have landed the first blow ahead of next week’s trans-Tasman Test with the Kiwis conceding defeat in the chase for Cowboys wonderkid Kalyn Ponga.
The Courier Mail can reveal New Zealand management has been informed Ponga will pledge his allegiance to Queensland and Australia.
Ponga, whose father Andre is from New Zealand, is eligible to play for both countries but is yet to play senior representative football.
The Kiwis had their eye on the teenage young gun for the season-ending World Cup and he would have come into contention the May 6 Test in Canberra.
He may have been called into an expanded Kiwi squad for some experience before the end-of-year-tournament, but also to force his hand on eligibility and keep him away from the Aussies.
But Kiwi management revealed on Monday they had been told Ponga will not play for New Zealand.
While the Kiwis have been notified of Ponga’s decision, he is yet to inform Maroons coach Kevin Walters.
Walters did not select Ponga for this year’s Emerging Origin camp as he left the 19-year-old to ponder his representative future and said he would not pressure Ponga for an answer.
“I haven’t heard anything,” Walters said.
“We have left Kalyn alone. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do.
“We’re not going to force him into anything.
“He’s got to go where his heart is and who he feels the most allegiance to. That’s where he belongs.”
Ponga has been the centre of an international tug of war since bursting on to the scene in the under-20s.
He decided to not play representative football last year after both the Junior Kiwis and Kangaroos planned to pick him and will do the same in 2017.
The Queensland Rugby League has a policy of not selecting players for the Maroons under-20s that have played five NRL games in a season.
Ponga played his fifth NRL match of the season in last Saturday’s win against Newcastle, the club he will join next year on a multi-million dollar deal."
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...d/news-story/3b706b62e46a562a2539c2a2517bcf36
