‘Not a good sign’: Ponga injury blow for Maroons, Knights…
Newcastle Knights captain Ponga exited their recent 22–18 loss to Canberra limping heavily after a tackle. He was wearing a moon boot by game’s end .
Scans confirmed a Lisfranc injury (midfoot), potentially mirroring last year’s injury: it’s serious, and coach Adam O’Brien noted, “You have to drag him off the field … it’s probably not a good sign” .
Early indications suggest his season is over if surgery is required. Even a midfoot sprain recovery would take 2–6 weeks; but high-grade injury could end his year .
Ponga is officially out of the July 9 decider at Accor Stadium, leaving Queensland in search of a new fullback .
Reece Walsh (recovering from PCL, returned with Broncos) is now the frontrunner to reclaim the No. 1 jersey .
Other options include shifting Hamiso Tabuai‑Fidow to fullback, but that position change hasn’t been widely favored .
Losing Ponga is a major blow. He’s been instrumental in their recent form and their Finals push .
Already missing Fletcher Sharpe to injury, Newcastle has limited cover and will have to reshuffle for upcoming matches .
Kalyn Ponga’s significant Lisfranc injury likely rules him out for both State of Origin III and the rest of the NRL season—impacting both the Maroons’ selection and the Knights’ finals hopes. Look out for an Origin squad announcement soon, where Reece Walsh is the leading candidate to fill the void.
