“I don’t deserve that yet”: Ponga reluctant to accept tag as greatest signing in Knights’ history

Newcastle Knights star Kalyn Ponga has once again entered the conversation as the NRL’s best player after another stellar finish to the season.

Ponga was in career-best form to end the 2024 NRL season, leading the Knights to a finals spot and falling just one pass short of a Week One upset against the Cowboys.

The fullback’s sensational run of form led Knights legend Matty Johns to label him as the club’s greatest ever signing, despite only playing 124 games for the team thus far.

Reflecting on those comments, Ponga admitted he doesn’t deserve that honour just yet as he has his eyes firmly on returning an NRL premiership to Newcastle.

“My time’s not done yet,” Ponga said on SEN 1170 Mower’s Club.

“For me, I want to win a comp, for me, anything short of that isn’t a great buy or isn’t a success in a way.

“When I’m done at the club then hopefully I can look back at my career and people can look back at my time at the club and say I was (the best signing ever).

“For now I don’t deserve that (tag) yet or earned that yet.”

Along with his on-field contributions, Ponga’s leadership skills have notably improved in 2024 with many praising his post-match comments to the Knights team after their season ended last week.

“I said two things,” Ponga added.

“When they scored their second try, the game was pretty much done, there was a minute left on the clock, I just grabbed the boys in, gave them a big hug and just said, ‘We’ve got to be proud of our efforts not only tonight but throughout this year, we’ve been counted out that many times by that many people but the resilience in this group, that’s the reason that we got ourselves in this position and we should be proud of ourselves’.

“We obviously lost the game but we could’ve won that.

“That was kind of the feel and what was said after the game, it was just disappointing the way we went out.”