KALYN Ponga is ready to put his best foot forward as Newcastle's long-term goalkicker.
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Ponga has been a sporadic, apparently reluctant, kicker since debuting for the Knights in 2018, handing the role over to the likes of Ken Sio, Mason Lino and Jake Clifford in previous seasons.
This year Jackson Hastings and Lachlan Miller have alternated at the tee, but after Newcastle's captain kicked 11 from 11 in Sunday's club-record 66-0 demolition of Canterbury, there appears little doubt he is the best available option.
![Knights skipper Kalyn Ponga equalled a club record by kicking 11 goals against Canterbury on Sunday. Picture by Jonathan Carroll Knights skipper Kalyn Ponga equalled a club record by kicking 11 goals against Canterbury on Sunday. Picture by Jonathan Carroll](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/AFKkRPHwQbXhqFfb42nFTx/1ca5d401-8f3e-42d6-85d6-3bc97229b3db.jpg/r618_653_3864_2422_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"To be honest, it's something I'll stick at now," Ponga said after the game.
"I'll take the reins. I've got confidence in my kicking after that, for sure."
I've got confidence in my kicking after that, for sure.
- KALYN PONGA
The 25-year-old's perfect display against the Bulldogs equalled Andrew Johns's club record for most goals in a game, when the eighth Immortal landed 11 from 12 in Newcastle's 70-32 win against Canberra in 2006.
That took Ponga's career tally to 154 goals from 207 attempts, at a strike rate of 74.4 per cent.
Hastings, in comparison, has kicked 16 from 28 this season (57.14 per cent) and 55 from 78 (70.51 per cent) across his 79-game NRL career. Miller has been on target with 23 of 33 shots this year, at 69.7 per cent.
"'Milky' [Miller] had a few good games, and then he just went through a bit of a rough patch," Ponga said.
"Jacko kicks good at training, so I thought: 'He's probably the next best kicker, I'm probably third string, and I'll kick when Jacko's injured'."
Wayward goalkicking has been a costly issue for Newcastle in a number of games this season.
The Knights have drawn 32-all with Manly, and suffered narrow losses against Penrith (16-15), North Queensland (18-16) and Sydney Roosters (18-16), when they were left ruing missed shots at goal.
"It was great to go up by sixes," Knights coach Adam O'Brien noted on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Ponga has explained his rationale for ruling himself out of Origin III next week after Reece Walsh's suspension.
"I've already spoken to [Queensland coach] Billy [Slater], and I thanked him actually for not picking me for game one," he said.
"I thanked him for allowing me to get back to playing footy and just focusing on what's important.
"We spoke about it in that phone call about where I am mentally, and I still want to stick with that.
"I still want to focus on the Knights. Our season's definitely not done.
"Just put everything I can, physically and mentally, towards the Knights.
"And I thanked him for that. It wasn't until I stepped back that I realised what I needed. So I won't be playing Origin III. But whoever they put back there will obviously do a job."
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