Knights coach Adam O’Brien has revealed Kalyn Ponga will make a permanent switch to the halves this season while hinting at a three-way battle for his vacant fullback spot.
Speaking on SEN 1170 Breakfast on Tuesday, O’Brien said the decision to move Ponga to five-eighth was made after he was ruled out in the latter stages of last season following multiple concussions.
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Hastings will partner Ponga in the halves, with O’Brien confident that he will make his new teammate’s transition to the halves “so much easier”. “He’s definitely a footy head,” O’Brien said. “He knows the game well and he’s a general. He will steer the team around, he’s very vocal and he’s very clear about what he wants those to do around him. “That allows Kalyn to be himself and doesn’t bog him down with a lot of responsibility of being a director. “At the end of the day you want Jackson to steer the team around and get Kalyn the ball in the space that we need to get him in. They’re working really well together at the moment.” The big question that needs answering now though is who will line up at fullback in Ponga’s place, with English addition Bailey Hodgson the leading contender. O’Brien though said Dane Gagai and Tyson Gamble had also “spent some time” training at fullback along with Hodgson, who has been there “most of the summer”. Stream Over 50 Sports Live & On-Demand with Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now > Cobbo on Kevvie: He’s not a good coach | 01:01 “Strengthening that fullback spot remains a priority for us,” added O’Brien. There will be plenty of pressure on O’Brien after last year’s let-down but the Knights coach said both he as an individual and the club as a whole can take plenty of lessons out of 2022. “Whilst it wasn’t enjoyable for anyone — the players, staff, supporters — upon reflection over the summer looking back over that season I learnt a lot,” he said. “Hopefully one day you’re looking back at it and saying we made better or smarter decisions having gone through that type of season. “I don’t want to do that again… but at the same time you start to analyse things a little bit differently and make better decisions in and around recruitment, how you prepare each week and how you handle adversity.”
