Wayne Bennett says Maroons coach Billy Slater has taken a big “risk” by Picking Kalyn Ponga for the Country of origin Decision after a long layoff for the Newcastle captain. Ponga was sidelined for 11 weeks after suffering a foot injury in Round 7 but returned to the NRL in Round 18 and was a star in the Knights’ 16-12 victory over the Raiders.
Ponga’s impressive return was all the evidence Slater needed to select the reigning Dally Me Medal winner for the decisive Game 3 at Suncorp Stadium. Ponga was named on the bench and is expected to play in the Maroons’ midfield. The Newcastle superstar revealed earlier this week that he is looking forward to the chance to partner up with lively full-back Reece Walsh in attack.
The inclusion of Ponga gives the Maroons a clear X-factor off the bench – something the Queenslanders lacked in Game 2 when they were swept 34-0 in the first half by the Blues. But Bennett says the selection of Ponga is not without significant risk. Bennett took one of the biggest Origin risks of all time when he brought Allan Langer back from England to play him in the Maroons’ series-deciding Game 3 victory in 2001.
“He’s a wonderful player but he’s only played one game in about three months,” Bennett said of Ponga. “They’re talking about putting him in the middle. It’s a big risk but Origin is about risk. It could turn out to be a great move. It could turn out to be damaging.”
Ponga played at centre for the Maroons when he made his Origin debut as a substitute in the 2018 series and was man of the match when he last played for Queensland in the 2022 series decider. The Maroons will hope Ponga can help them bounce back from their Game 2 loss to the Blues, who were accused of bullying Queensland at the MCG.
Darren Lockyer’s warning for QLD after Kalyn Ponga selection
Maroons legend Darren Lockyer said he was delighted with Ponga’s performances but warned Queensland’s forwards would have to step up to allow Ponga and Walsh to shine in attack. “We still need to give them the right foundation to show their ability,” Lockyer said. “As we saw in the second game, if you don’t have dynamism in the midfield you can look pretty average.”
“Their real focus is for the forwards to try and win that battle so that guys like Reece and KP can do their thing with time and space.” The Maroons have so far refused to go into too much detail about how Ponga will be used when he comes off the bench, but Lockyer says Slater will have a number of plans in place, just as he did when he fielded Selwyn Cobbo as the Maroons’ all-rounder in Game 1.
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“Billy had a plan for Cobbo if there were no injuries,” Lockyer said. “He’ll find a way to get KP into the game and he’s not just going to sit on the bench replacing a full-back. There’ll be a way to get him into the game.”
“You only have to look at the time when Cooper Cronk came in at No. 14 and Shaun Berrigan before that. You have those ball players who can get to the edge and create. You might have Reece on one side and KP on the other and if you can build up some fatigue, ruck speed and momentum, it becomes quite dangerous.”
Perhaps the biggest advantage for the Maroons is the fact that they will be playing in front of a provincial home crowd at Suncorp Stadium – a stadium that has proven to be a graveyard for NSW sides over the years. Since the Origin series began in 1980, only two Blues sides have won a decider in Queensland and their dismal record includes 10 losses and one draw.
“The biggest advantage for Queensland is Suncorp,” Bennett said. “You know the crowd is behind the team. That makes a big difference. It’s like playing with 14 people on the field. The crowd is pumped up and the players are highly motivated. It’s fortunate they can come back and play the last game here and the stats show how dominant we have been in these playoffs. The stats are based on several years’ performances and they show NSW haven’t won many games when it mattered most.”
with agencies
