Ponga Appreciation Thread.

[Dr Dr Gimedanews]

Looks like he’s now been paid lol. Honestly just another day another drama at the Knights.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...s/news-story/0946a0f307332317f4876465c31b3797

well if half of that article is correct it explains our lack of success since Wests took over. Sounds like a bunch of people pulling in different directions.

Those resorting to politics in the work place do so out of ineptitude.

 

[Woody90]

360 actually helped clarify it:

Andre reached out to the NRL requesting some clarification on how Kalyn’s ratchet clause works. During that discussion the unpaid TPA came up - which has since been paid.

They kept trying to say that Andre going to the NRL is unusual and might be a sign KP’s unhappy but given Andre Ponga isn’t a profession agent and probably doesn’t understand all the ins and outs I can completely understand him going to the NRL to get it explained so he can continue to work in Ponga’s best interests.

They then kept bouncing between saying he seems happy and probably doesn’t want to leave but then kept going on about it still being a big story and we haven’t heard the end of it lol.

 

[Apey]

Big storm in a teacup vibes for mine. Feel like the media are just desperate for it to eventuate into a real story. The idea that its Pongas way of agitating for a release is some serious straw clutching.

 

[Rod]

Fk me Fox really can be scumbags when they want to. They are still referring to it as a 'possible Knights salary cap breach' - that's a massive reach at best and almost libel at worst given what we know about it being a TPA.

 

[Woody90]

https://www.watoday.com.au/sport/nr...eaks-out-over-ponga-deal-20240514-p5jdlt.html

Edit - managed to find the full article about the meet up with Roosters official. Another beat up.

 

[Apey]

https://www.watoday.com.au/sport/nr...eaks-out-over-ponga-deal-20240514-p5jdlt.html

Edit - managed to find the full article about the meet up with Roosters official. Another beat up.

"He does not have any TPAs now, having wanted all income registered under the cap rather than from external sources when he re-signed."

That line was the most interesting part for me. If that's the case he has zero chance of going to the Roosters, lol.

But yeah meeting with their long term friend Clint Zammit and our current recruitment manager doesn't mean much to me.

Andre is entitled as Ponga's manager to seek answers. I don't quite trust him but it is what it is.

 

[Woody90]

Yeah Andre’s always been difficult, but as KP’s manager and father he’s well within his right to want clarification if he thinks Ponga hasn’t been paid correctly.

Given Kalyn’s long term injuries and concussions Andre probably realises his career might be shortened and he wants to make sure Kalyn gets everything he’s entitled to while he’s got this current contract. He’d be stupid not to.

 

[Dr Dr Gimedanews]

That line was the most interesting part for me. If that's the case he has zero chance of going to the Roosters, lol.

true

 

[The Axe of Druss]

Lol this forum sometimes

Fox clickbait article about a 3rd party deals being mishandled ---> Kayln wants to leave ---> Knights want to offload him for Munster ---> purple monkey dishwasher

Never change guys

 

[Burwood]

It’s disappointing from a salary cap point of view that the only player in our squad who can actually attract 3rd party deals, refuses to utilise them and has their salary 100% under the cap.

 

[Woody90]

It’s disappointing from a salary cap point of view that the only player in our squad who can actually attract 3rd party deals, refuses to utilise them and has their salary 100% under the cap.

I mean tbf I’d refuse to use them too if I didn’t get paid from one during my previous contract lol.

 

[Zoidberg]

After the Fifita backflip on the Roosters there are detectives on twitter putting the puzzle pieces together as meaning Ponga is going to Roosters now.

 

[PhilGould]

I mean tbf I’d refuse to use them too if I didn’t get paid from one during my previous contract lol.

The story is that he did get paid for it though, Andre just somehow didn't realise that when he signed a new contract in 2022 (without any TPAs, by his own insistence) it meant he was no longer getting the old TPAs either.

 

[Old dog]

Don’t think we will ever win the comp, Grand Final while we have Ponga. He uses up too much of our salary and along with Safs we can’t afford to upgrade what’s needed, I like Hastings and Gamble but they are not going to win us a comp. We are strong in a lot of areas, centre while Gags is here, backrow forwards even when Friz goes as long as we extend KPP, need a strong hard running f/row or two to go with Thompson and we can only get them by creating Cap space.
Our better juniors are a few years away.

 

[Apey]

Don’t think we will ever win the comp, Grand Final while we have Ponga. He uses up too much of our salary and along with Safs we can’t afford to upgrade what’s needed, I like Hastings and Gamble but they are not going to win us a comp. We are strong in a lot of areas, centre while Gags is here, backrow forwards even when Friz goes as long as we extend KPP, need a strong hard running f/row or two to go with Thompson and we can only get them by creating Cap space.
Our better juniors are a few years away.

Nah Ponga is worth 1M+. Would be 5 - 10 other contracts I'd be concerned about before his.

I'm not thrilled by the no TPA revelation, though.

 

[Dr Dr Gimedanews]

Don’t think we will ever win the comp, Grand Final while we have Ponga. He uses up too much of our salary and along with Safs we can’t afford to upgrade what’s needed, I like Hastings and Gamble but they are not going to win us a comp. We are strong in a lot of areas, centre while Gags is here, backrow forwards even when Friz goes as long as we extend KPP, need a strong hard running f/row or two to go with Thompson and we can only get them by creating Cap space.
Our better juniors are a few years away.

if we win a comp it will be because of Ponga, he is the only hope the club has. Kid is a freak and worth every penny of his contract.

Club has paid overs in the pack, and paid too many mid range contracts for others that just arent delivering. There's the nucleus of a decent team but plenty of deadwood.

 

[Yosh]

Such a pity that this garbage had to come out after 3 solid wins. How many times this last two decades have we won 3 in a row? Hopefully this media rubbish hasn't tarnished the mood around the club and we get that 4th win on the weekend.

 

[Dr Dr Gimedanews]

Such a pity that this garbage had to come out after 3 solid wins. How many times this last two decades have we won 3 in a row? Hopefully this media rubbish hasn't tarnished the mood around the club and we get that 4th win on the weekend.

The shame is the journalist face no consequence to printing false and misleading nonsense, and so it continues.

That Hooper is a pillock, I see his highly defamatory "who's who in the zoo" Knights story is off the FOX landing page and nowhere to be found.

 

[Knight Tales]

I do not believe for a second that Andre was not agitating for a release on a technicality. Underhanded behaviour.
it goes without saying he has too
Much influence.
The way Hopper reported it makes it sound like NRL got played by this TPA supplier. That he is almost like a ghost fund with no tangible connection to our club. Perhaps that is why the article got taken down. It was suggestive we had in fact broken the rules. Weird.

 

[Dr Dr Gimedanews]

Looks like FOX has been sent a letter from someone lawyer. "Who's who in the Zoo" is gone hahaha

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...s/news-story/0946a0f307332317f4876465c31b3797