Newcastle superstar Kalyn Ponga is facing a ban from NRL games at the start for the 2025 season for boycotting Kangaroos selection.
The Knights on Tuesday sent out a statement revealing that Ponga had chosen not to make himself available for selection in the Pacific Championships as he prioritised his club pre-season in a bid to win a first premiership next year.
However, the NRL appear to have taken a dim view of that announcement, with 9News reporter Danny Weidler revealing on Wednesday morning that the game’s governing body was considering a suspension.
When a player signs an NRL contract one of the terms is that they commit to playing for their national team if selected.
Players who do not wish to compete for their nation can write a letter to the NRL requesting an exemption but there is no guarantee that an exemption will be provided.
Kalyn Ponga makes a break during the Knights’ qualifying final loss to the Cowboys. Getty
There are many examples of players “retiring” from international rugby league but that is usually only signed off by the NRL after years of service and when the player is coming towards the end of their career.
In the case of Ponga, he is yet to make his debut for Australia and is not under an injury cloud, which leaves room for the NRL to sanction him for refusing selection.
“I want to win a comp, for me anything short of that isn’t success,” Ponga said via Tuesday’s club statement.
Yet, in an ironic twist, that statement may now blow up in the club’s face, with the Knights’ chances of launching a premiership tilt in 2025 to be significantly weakened if their superstar fullback is sidelined by a ban.
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Ponga led the Knights’ charge to the finals with some scintillating performances at the back end of the regular season and would have likely been a significant factor in Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga’s thinking when he picked the side for the end-of-season series.
Meninga was understood to be fuming at Ponga’s decision to withdraw, with Kangaroos legend and former selector Bob McCarthy also claiming a “red line” should be drawn through his name in the future.
“You don’t knock back the Australian jersey. I can’t see his reckoning there. It’s the ultimate reward, playing for your country,” McCarthy told The Sydney Morning Herald after the Knights’ statement dropped on Tuesday.
The NRL is yet to give an official response to the Ponga withdrawal.
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