Newcastle are falling apart in dramatic fashion with superstar skipper Kalyn Ponga set to jump ship to chase his All Blacks dream at a New Zealad Super Rugby franchise with the club set to pull the trigger on coach Adam O’Brien’s tenure.
Ponga and O’Brien are both under contract until the end of 2027 but are both set to exit simultaneously with the Knights spiralling towards the bottom of the ladder.
According to a Sydney Morning Herald report, Ponga has grown disillusioned with the Knights after they have endured a disappointing 2025 campaign, winning just six of 17 matches while also possessing the worst attacking record in the competition.
He has spoken openly in the past about wanting to one day wear the All Blacks jersey and at 27, time is running out for the talented Queensland fullback to make the switch.
Kalyn Ponga and Fletcher Sharpe. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
Ponga is reportedly ready to tell the club that he is willing to negotiate a release from the final two years of his lucrative contract, one of the highest in the NRL at $1.4 million a season, if an opportunity comes up with a Super Rugby franchise.
If he were to depart at season’s end, he would have under two years to get into the New Zealand rugby line-up in time for the next World Cup in Australia.
With Eels five-eighth Dylan Brown heading to the Knights next year on a decade-long multimillion-dollar contract, Ponga’s potential departure would mean they could switch rising star Fletcher Sharpe to his preferred fullback position and with Jackson Hastings’ contract coming off the books, they could sign a halfback to pair alongside their new recruit.
Ponga has made 146 NRL appearances since his debut as a teenager at the Cowboys in 2016 but has only made 137 in eight seasons in Newcastle due to a string of injuries and concussion problems.
Knights executives are also preparing to bring down the curtain on O’Brien’s time in the Hunter at the end of his sixth season at the helm.
They have lost three of their past eight matches, going down at home twice in the past two rounds to Canberra and an under-strength Melbourne side 32-14.
Newcastle are 13th on the NRL ladder, just two competition points ahead of last-placed Gold Coast.
While they possess the third-best defence in the NRL, their inability to score points has put them behind the eight-ball and with the Warriors, Raiders and Panthers their next three opponents, their slim finals chances could be extinguished very soon.
They would likely need to win all seven of their remaining matches to have any hope of qualifying but with Ponga and Sharpe sidelined long term, their season is all but over.
Assistant coach Blake Green is a potential option to replace O’Brien as coach although Sharks assistant coach Josh Hannay and Dragons deputy Dean Young could also be in line for the gig.
O’Brien is contracted until the end of 2027 but it is understood that the club will not have to pay him out in full if he is shown the door due to clauses in his deal.
He took over at the start of 2020 and the Knights have won 62 of his 138 matches in charge, making the finals in three of those years but only winning one playoff match when they beat the Raiders 30-28 in a first-round clash two years ago.
