“Absolutely disastrous”: Smith questions Newcastle's risky decision to play Ponga

Jimmy Smith has heavily criticised the Newcastle Knights for playing superstar fullback Kalyn Ponga as the Dally M medallist suffered a Lisfranc injury that will rule him out for 12 weeks.

Ponga suffered the foot injury in the 52nd minute of his side’s big loss to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. The injury will likely rule him out of the whole State of Origin series, and comes after Ponga played through an unrelated hip pointer injury he suffered the week before.

Smith was very critical of the Knights’ decision, particularly considering Ponga’s importance to the Newcastle team’s finals prospects.

“Why was Kalyn Ponga on the field? What on Earth was he doing there?,” Smith said on The Jimmy Smith Show.

“I would love to know the conversation between Adam O’Brien, the medical staff, any trusted advisors that Adam has, and Kalyn Ponga during the week.

“We all know how important Kalyn Ponga is to that side, it’s very obvious. And in fact, the more that he plays in games where he’s injured or doesn’t play, it becomes even more obvious.

“But it was clear from the outset that he wasn’t ready to play…. Now he’s picked himself up another injury.

“That’s absolutely disastrous for the Newcastle Knights.”

The Newcastle Knights currently sit 15th on the NRL ladder, and the loss of Ponga could have a dramatic impact on their chances of back-to-back finals appearances for the second time since 2003.

It’s unclear at this stage who will replace Ponga at fullback for Newcastle, though veteran Dane Gagai and rookie David Armstrong loom as the likely replacements. The other option, exciting rookie Fletcher Sharpe, would be in contention but is sidelined with a hamstring injury.

Ponga’s injury also means the road has been cleared for Reece Walsh, who is now the favourite to be the Queensland State of Origin fullback, barring injury.

The Knights will need to perform strongly without Ponga on Sunday night against the third-placed Dolphins as they look to keep their season alive.