Kalyn Ponga announced his return from a lengthy foot injury in stunning fashion, orchestrating a 28-18 Knights victory over the Cowboys in Las Vegas to kick off the NRL season under new coach Justin Holbrook.
Ponga, who hadn’t played since June last year, racked up 146 metres, two try assists, a line break and seven tackle busts to dismantle his former club, with the game turning on a sin bin for Cowboys winger Braidon Burns — who collected Ponga high in the 72nd minute — allowing Newcastle to score and seal the result after the scores were locked at 22-18.
The Cowboys were hampered by a rib injury to fullback Scott Drinkwater from early in the piece, while North Queensland prop Thomas Mikaele also departed with a suspected medial ligament injury following a tackle by Knights veteran Tyson Frizell, who may face scrutiny from the match review committee. Newcastle five-eighth Fletcher Sharpe was the other injury concern of the evening, going down with a non-contact knee injury in the first half — though he has been cleared of ACL damage — with his absence proving pivotal as the Cowboys drew level at 12-12 by halftime after trailing 12-0.
