Ponga Appreciation Thread.

[Knight76]

I reckon he will hold off signing with anybody and see how we are travelling. If we have hit our straps next year and our attack is actually effective, we are entrenched in the top 8/4 he may commit.

If we are struggling and doing our usual immitation of a bottom 4 team then I think he will bail.

 

[Spot On]

Out of those 3…frizell is really the only one we got best value for money

Pearce was obviously past his best and klemmer is a victim of the game speed increase and we are now probably paying overs….not saying he is a bad player by any stretch…just not worth 800k in the modern game

Yep, we’ve got exactly what was expected out of the above mentioned players.

 

[Mr_Knightside]

So did something change? I thought he was allowed to leave if we won a comp but all of a sudden he’s off contract for next year now? The story around his contract seems to have changed a number of times.

 

[ryan.a87]

So did something change? I thought he was allowed to leave if we won a comp but all of a sudden he’s off contract for next year now? The story around his contract seems to have changed a number of times.

I don’t think anything is changed….I just think the media like to make up different parts of his contract on a weekly basis and no one has ever confirmed or denied it….so now there is mass confusion

 

[Mr_Knightside]

I don’t think anything is changed….I just think the media like to make up different parts of his contract on a weekly basis and no one has ever confirmed or denied it….so now there is mass confusion

Yeah I'm extremely confused at this point.

 

[Mr_Knightside]

So on the topic of whether he's worth the money he's on, it's not exactly black and white... If his form over the last couple of years is anything to go by I would say no he's not currently worth $1M however despite that he still probably won half a dozen games for us on his own back this year and I shudder to think what our attack would have been like without him.

The other fact that needs to be reconciled is that KP is the most gifted player we've had at this club since Joey (perhaps even more naturally gifted) and despite the results or our expectations as fans there have been some really exciting and special highlights that KP has almost exclusively been responsible for. It's actually been fantastic having a genuine superstar at the club again given we basically had a team full of no-names, retirees and borderline reserve graders for such a long time.

If he wants to keep getting paid $1M or more per year then he definitely needs to step up in some areas and be more involved especially on kick returns and in D.

The other thing to take into account is who we would get in to replace him if he did leave? All the other elite fullbacks are already locked into long term deals at more successful clubs so they're not going anywhere and I'd rather not put stock in trying to make do with a young guy or a journeyman because we might as well start another rebuild at that point. We've finished 7th in consecutive seasons now and we need to now be making moves up the ladder each year to become a serious top 4 threat. I can't see that happening if KP goes and I can't help but feel it would set us back a few more years.

Ultimately he's going to get $1M or more elsewhere anyway so if he's fielding other offers we need to have an offer that is up around that mark if we want to keep him. That being said going to the Dolphins would be a big risk given it's a new NRL club and typically new franchises take a while to get off the ground. The big pulling card there is Bennett who players tend to flock to but we've made big strides in becoming a more professional outfit over the last couple of years and I hope that having Joey on board would have a positive impact and perhaps be a factor in KP wanting to stay.

Time will tell.

 

[alexwilliams_66692007]

As mentioned, I think we are already over paying him by a lot
A million dollar player should be the absolute top of the game player, not someone you are thinking *might be the best player in a few years*

Players like Teddy, Turbo and Cleary are worth a mill. You could maybe make a case for Munster and to a lesser extent, Keary or lil pap.

Realistically, he is probably about the 4th or 5th best fullback in the comp.

Unpopular opinion coming up.

Ponga is a luxury player not a franchise player. I don't think he is the type of player to build a roster around. He isn't a Cam Smith, Cronk or Nathan Cleary. He is a State of Origin player not a grind out wins in a long season.

So.... If he goes, he goes. I don't think he was ever going to be the player to bring us a premiership. We need to find a proper franchise player. Brailey, Clifford and the Saifiti Brothers are great peices but I think we still need that special player to build around.

Just remember guys, this is the Ponga appreciation thread. Stay focused

 

[Knight76]

Just remember guys, this is the Ponga appreciation thread. Stay focused

Exactly. Staying on topic, I'd appreciate if Ponga would activate his player options in pre-season and stop this distraction.

 

[The Axe of Druss]

Ponga was a get for sure, but we took a chance on him on promise alone. Who have we signed of recent times that could be argued is top shelf.

Frizell

 

[Knight Tales]

I reckon he will hold off signing with anybody and see how we are travelling. If we have hit our straps next year and our attack is actually effective, we are entrenched in the top 8/4 he may commit.

If we are struggling and doing our usual immitation of a bottom 4 team then I think he will bail.

It’s more a case of Andre being happy with the long term plan of this place. It is O’Brien who needs to show he can reboot the attack to make KP the weapon he is. Ponga is still the most gifted player I have ever seen. What sets Teddy and Turbo ahead of him is their willingness to get physical. That is is up to Kalyn.

 

[Jono078]

I know this is an appreciation thread but didn't know if the speculation around him deserved its own thread?

Anyway judging by what NRL 360 discussed, it sounds like the Dolphins may ramp up negotiations with Ponga.

Not sure how I feel about it at this stage. Their belief was he owes us nothing and we're the ones who agreed to his contract - can't really argue anything there, but the stringing us along is the concern here.

I will be grateful he came here and gave us some real excitement after some of our worst years, but it will feel like a bit of a slap in the face. All the development in him, and the club, will amount to him leaving in his possible peak years. He's played 16 out of the last 28 (57%) games for us, so that's a lot of money on the sidelines. Really hope he can start stringing some games together soon and we show what we can be capable of this year.

Don't want to get ahead of myself until something does happen, but the more players the Dolphins miss out on, the harder they go for Ponga and that obviously affects our recruitment until he makes a massive decision.

 

[perverse]

I've just given up caring. If he stays, cool. If he goes, spend the money elsewhere... we suddenly have a "one of the highest paid players in the game" slot to fill in the squad. The only difficulty is luring a player worthy of that money to the club, I guess.

 

[macavity]

I've just given up caring. If he stays, cool. If he goes, spend the money elsewhere... we suddenly have a "one of the highest paid players in the game" slot to fill in the squad. The only difficulty is luring a player worthy of that money to the club, I guess.

issue is if he decides late (which he will) we need to scramble with no one available.

we are already hugely under the cap.

 

[Jono078]

Yep. That is the core issue.

Pearce stuffed us last year.. We could have went harder for Nicho Hynes.. Who will Ponga cost us IF he makes a late decision to depart.

EDIT: Not all on Pearce, the club's fault too.

 

[Woosh]

issue is if he decides late (which he will) we need to scramble with no one available.

we are already hugely under the cap.

Can the Dolphins afford both Ponga and Munster?
Knights could offer Munster ridiculous money that is too good to refuse but the sticky point is he’s not off contract until the end of 2023.

 

[macavity]

Can the Dolphins afford both Ponga and Munster?
Knights could offer Munster ridiculous money that is too good to refuse but the sticky point is he’s not off contract until the end of 2023.

yeah they probably can. Will have crap depth, but lots of clubs do (us included)

 

[macavity]

Yep. That is the core issue.

Pearce stuffed us last year.. We could have went harder for Nicho Hynes.. Who will Ponga cost us IF he makes a late decision to depart.

That’s the big what if for me. A central coast boy, we would have been a good shot.

Take Ponga out and we also will need to get to the salary cap floor with no one to spend on. That leads to bad decisions.

 

[Sir Galahad]

I'd say it's almost a certainty he's out the door, leaving it a bit late to re-sign that's for sure.

His interview with Cam Smith was not a good one, he sounded gone.

Little buddy Watson's statments on why he joined the Rorters - to achive his potential , surely they talk and have a similar view of the club.

If he does go it's certainly a real knock to AOB.

I can hear the pitch from Bennett now " you will never achieve your potential in Newcastle " blah blah

 

[perverse]

issue is if he decides late (which he will) we need to scramble with no one available.

we are already hugely under the cap.

Sure. I guess I'm just jaded enough by time to feel like that is just typical and standard for us, and that we'll forever be in a "rebuilding" phase.

It's better than being in a permanent train wreck phase.

 

[Mr Angry]

If we can send the Chad.........