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Kalyn Ponga breaks silence on rugby union transfer reports


(Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
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Newcastle NRL star Kalyn Ponga says contract negotiations with the Knights are the furthest thing from his mind, let alone whether he wants to play for the All Blacks in the future.

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Speculation was rife a fortnight ago with reports surfacing the club had tabled a rich contract extension to the 21-year-old which included a get-out clause to defect to rugby union ahead of the 2023 World Cup.

Already contracted to the Knights until the end of 2021, clubs are free to approach the Queensland star in November and Newcastle have confirmed they want him locked in long term.

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However, on Monday, Ponga rejected the reports and said he was focused on round one, not what he might be doing in four years.

“It’s speculation – I don’t even know. I don’t know anything about the contracts,” he said.

“If I’m going into this weekend’s game thinking: ‘what am I doing in four years?’ … I’m not in the right headspace.

“For me, I’m just worried about today, probably what I’m going to have for dinner tonight and then I’ll worry about tomorrow.”

While Ponga appears carefree, the Knights are desperate to ward off rival NRL clubs who will be waiting to negotiate with one of the biggest stars in the game if he is not upgraded before November.

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Ponga understands why fans and media are interested in his next deal, but he’s more worried about being a consistent player for the Knights and says he is happy at the club.

“I don’t know too much; I know there’s been a lot of crazy speculation,” he said.

“I appreciate everyone wanting to know what I’m doing. But it’s the same thing as it’s always been.

“The message I want to always show to my fans and the club is that I just want to focus on now.

“That’s the person that I always have been and that’s who I always will be, so I’m just excited for this weekend.

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” I don’t think I was too consistent last year. I think I can be better in that area – performing week in an d week out.

“The Knights are foremost on my mind. I want to win – I want to win a comp.”

The Knights open their season on Saturday against the Warriors at McDonald Jones Stadium, which will also mark Ponga’s 50th NRL game.

– AAP

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NoLongerARuck 1 hour ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

The Six Nations produced so many compelling games and so much of action packed moments that you can only conclude that its the best international comp out there at the moment except for a world cup. If Wales improve it will be even better especially given the strides Italy have made in recent times. The Rugby Championship is now taking a hiatus in a year it really should be building toward something better which is terrible considering the competition was so tight last year. The Nations Champs promises much but one gets the feeling that the 6 Nations teams will not be at their peak given its at the end of their long season. In terms of rugby quality and entertainment Id rather watch the 6 Nations over everything else other than a world cup right now. The North arguably offers more in terms of entertainment than the South at club level as well. The Prem, the Champs Cup, URC and Top 14 all feature plenty of scoring and different playing styles while Super Rugby seems to be the same thing game in game out. While the South tries to speed up the game artificially with new trials and law variations the North has shown you can do it with good refereeing which penalises cynical play harshly and encourages positive actions on the field. In terms of entertainment the North wins. In terms of winning? They are making strides but until they win another world cup or get a team to rank number 1 again for an extended time again they cant really say they are better than the South.

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