Andrew Johns has called for Kalyn Ponga to be scratched from the remainder of the season following his latest concussion, arguing he’s “too important to the team” in the long run to be risked again this year.
Another Knights great in James McManus has also raised concern for Ponga’s battle with head injuries, saying “football is a very small section of your life”.
Ponga suffered his third concussion in six weeks when he copped a lazy arm from Matt Lodge during the Knights’ defeat to the Roosters in Newcastle on Friday night.
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The Newcastle co-captain and superstar fullback left the field for a head injury assessment in the eighth minute and failed the test, despite Johns’ view that it was “a fairly light touch”.
Ponga had already failed head injury assessments during a clash with the Panthers in June and the second State of Origin encounter later in the month.
One factor that could persuade the Knights to rule Ponga out for the rest of the season is Newcastle, sitting 14th on the ladder and four wins outside the top eight, can no longer qualify for the finals.
“They’re not going to make the semis, so why would you risk a player like Kalyn?” Johns, a Knights coaching consultant, said on Nine’s The Sunday Footy Show.
“I think that’s it for the year. Just let him have some time off because he’s too important to the team.”
A battle with concussion forced McManus into premature retirement in 2016 and he took legal action against the Knights, pushing for $1 million, but walked away empty-handed.
“Everyone is different in what their priorities are, but what I would say is that football is a very small section of your life,” McManus told The Sydney Morning Herald after Ponga’s concussion suffered in the Roosters match.
“It’s a big world out there, you’ve got a long time post-career.
“Quality of life post-career is certainly an issue for me, so for me, I just want to see everyone who plays the game healthy at the end of it.
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“Everybody is different, concussions are a part of the game, it’s just how they are looked after. How they are looked after will impact the long-term quality of life.
“There’s a lot of other testing that can be done and neurologists out there in the country that can help out. There are ones at Macquarie University that have biobank research and we’re trying to get that going.
“We are getting into a position where there are better diagnostics on it and treatments and solutions. Things like that are important and should be pushed.”
Ponga is set for an appointment with Dr Chris Levi, a neurologist who’s treated Boyd Cordner and a host of other NRL players struggling with concussion.
Ponga’s Origin coach, Billy Slater, believes Lodge’s high tackle on the 24-year-old wasn’t as meek as Johns suggested, but he also worries about the long-term health of the Knights’ best player.
“You see these incidents here. This is all this year. I remember when he went down leading into that third Origin (game). My main priority was Kalyn, making sure that he was OK, and I’m sure the Knights have his best interests at heart,” Slater said.
“He’s there long term and they want to make sure that they’ve got him for long term.
“I don’t think he’ll play again this season, either.”
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