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Phil Gould fears Kalyn Ponga‘s rugby league profession is “in jeopardy” and is bemused concerning the Knights‘ insistence on shifting the co-captain from fullback to five-eighth.
Ponga suffered his fourth head harm within the final 10 months when he collided with Wests Tigers second-rower Asu Kepaoa on Sunday afternoon.
The Queensland State of Origin weapon was knocked out as he braced himself for a deal with just below 80 seconds into the Leichhardt Oval fixture.
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Gould raised concern over Ponga enjoying at five-eighth, the place he is pressured to make extra tackles than at fullback, when pressed on 9’s 100% Footy on Monday night time.
“The individuals who coach him and work with him daily in all probability know finest what place he needs to be enjoying. I do not wish to second-guess coaches for that cause,” Gould mentioned.
“I simply do not perceive the obsession today with attempting to maneuver class fullbacks into the five-eighth place. Possibly as a result of they’ll go and purchase one other fullback however they cannot go and purchase one other five-eighth.
“I simply do not know that is the precise place for him in the mean time.”
Earlier than Sunday, the final time Ponga was concussed was when he copped a excessive hit from Matt Lodge in July final 12 months.
Ponga, who’d suffered his third concussion in three weeks, did not play once more in 2022.
Newcastle then moulded him right into a five-eighth over the summer time, pairing him up within the halves with low season recruit Jackson Hastings and handing Lachlan Miller, one other new signing, the No.1 jumper.
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“My concern with Kalyn — and I’ve retired two gamers due to repeated concussions in my profession — is the benefit with which it occurs now,” Gould added.
“I do not see these knocks as something excessive, (or knocks) that needs to be inflicting that kind of downside for him. It simply appears now he reacts badly to collisions which are actually fairly simple, and that is not an excellent signal.
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“I believe his profession is in jeopardy, to be sincere. I do not know the way you kind by that.
“I get involved extra on the ease with which they get concussed and the way repeatedly that occurs.”
Paul Gallen can be anxious about the way in which wherein Ponga is sustaining head accidents.
“Not solely is he getting concussed, not solely is he getting hit and falling over and stumbling to get again up — he is out,” Gallen mentioned.
“As soon as he will get hit he is out chilly on the way in which to the bottom. To me that is the scary factor … It was a good hit, however you see them in in all probability a good few tackles within the recreation, and as I say, he was out. He by no means hit the bottom and was in a daze; he was out, he was out chilly, he was out chilly from the time he acquired hit. In order that’s regarding.”
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