Kalyn Ponga’s tackle on Will Warbrick puts Storm V Knights back under scrutiny
Kalyn Ponga’s tackling technique was under the microscope again in storm v knights after he saved a try with a shoulder charge on Will Warbrick. The play was allowed to stand, Ponga was not placed on report, and the scrutiny around the Newcastle fullback only intensified nine days after his Origin I send-off.
Ponga And Will Warbrick
Ponga came across in cover defence and met Warbrick with a shoulder charge that forced a knock on because his shoulder contacted the ball. The officials did not pick up the tackle, so play carried on without a penalty or a report.
The half-time panel picked over the collision and the language was blunt. Greg Alexander said, “Kalyn Ponga definitely has a technique problem with his tackling. It looked very similar to what happened last Wednesday night, but he made contact with the ball,”
Fox League Panel Response
Cooper Cronk pushed the same theme, warning, “If that makes any contact with the head, he’s absolutely in trouble,” He also said, “He has tucked the arm. He to be cautioned about the way he goes about that because look, technically it probably is a penalty, but it wasn’t just because he made contact with the ball.”
Cronk added, “So he’s got some challenges when doing cover defence Kalyn Ponga.” That left the match official record unchanged, but the tackling method stayed in focus because the same issue had already come under review after Origin I.
Jahrome Hughes Hits Back
The second half brought another rough moment for Ponga. Jahrome Hughes ran straight over him 20 metres out and scored, with Ponga making some effort to wrap his arms before Hughes shoved him off with ease.
Ponga was wincing while clutching his shoulder after the collision, yet he played on. Kevin Walters summed up the moment in commentary: “He got his body and head in the wrong place there,”
For Newcastle and Queensland, the concern is no longer just one tackle in one game. Ponga had been sent off in Origin I for a shoulder charge nine days earlier, and this match gave fresh evidence that every cover-defence shot he makes will be examined just as closely.
