Meet the seven-year-old boy who went viral on social media after TV footage captured him shaking his head and refusing to accept Kalyn Ponga’s headgear.
Andy Condon was warming up to play a game with Toukley Hawks on the Central Coast on Friday night when Knights superstar Ponga walked over and handed him his head piece.
Any kid would have loved the chance to be greeted by one of the game’s biggest stars.
But in what could only be described as awkward post-match scenes, Andy wanted nothing to do with him, put his mouthguard in and walked off.
Ponga appeared embarrassed and unsure what to do next.
It evoked memories of the night a young Parramatta fan threw Johnathan Thurston’s headgear back on to the field, only to be chastised by his mother.
Awkward … Kalyn Ponga appears to be brushed by a young fan who has no interest in his headgearCredit:Instagram
The fact Andy was wearing blue and gold gave the impression he may have been a Parramatta fan, but the Herald tracked down Andy after the incident – and it turns out it was all a big misunderstanding.
Andy thought it was good to be true his idol and had wanted Ponga to keep the kit, especially given they had never met.
“I only handed it back to him because I thought he still wanted it, but he didn’t,” Andy said.
“I ended up keeping it. I told him I listened to his podcast. I follow Newcastle and Penrith, but Kalyn is actually my favourite player.”
Andy Condon, 7, was glad to go home with Kalyn Ponga’s headgear.Credit:Christian Nicolussi
Andy’s mother Holli was quickly contacted by her partner, who was watching the hilarious footage from the other side of the country.
“Andy loves his footy, it’s his third year of footy, and he actually loves Kalyn,” Holli said.
“He reckons he will wear it every week now. He even wanted to wear it tonight during the game, but the headgear is signed now, so he might want to get it framed instead.”
Ponga had a mixed night in his first game at No. 6 alongside Jackson Hastings as the Knights were convincingly beaten 36-14 by Parramatta.
Holli and her son Andy with Kalyn Ponga’s headgear.Credit:Christian Nicolussi
Ponga, who at the start of the week finally addressed the infamous incident in a Newcastle toilet cubicle last August, set up a try for Bradman Best with a lovely short pass, but missed his share of tackles, and fell for a Mitchell Moses dummy that led to an Eels try.
For the record, Andy scored a try for Toukley.
