Ponga explains All Stars stance after Kangaroos saga

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Ponga explains All Stars stance after Kangaroos saga

Kalyn Ponga says he wouldn’t be playing in the NRL’s All Stars fixture if he hadn’t taken the decision to rule himself out of Australia’s end-of-year Test squad.

Newcastle fullback Ponga is set to play for the Maori for the first time in four years, giving Saturday’s fixture against the Indigenous All Stars at CommBank Stadium a significant increase in star power.

Three of the NRL’s biggest Indigenous stars; Latrell Mitchell, Josh Addo-Carr and Nicho Hynes are all unavailable due to injury or suspension, sparking fresh debate over the game’s position in the calendar just weeks out from the start of the season proper.

Canberra captain Joe Tapine and Melbourne’s Jahrome Hughes are both out for the Maori.

“With our game in Las Vegas and all the travel… the All Stars means so much to me but I had to listen to the body,” Tapine said.

“Being captain, I want to put my best foot forward for the Raiders – the (Maori) team still looks solid.”

Ponga said he would likely have joined the list of unavailables for the All Stars fixture, were it not for the fact he felt fresh after standing down from Kangaroos selection prior to last year’s Pacific Championships.

Ponga’s decision to turn down an *********** jersey – in order to focus on his club commitments with Newcastle – was met with scorn.

But the livewire fullback believes the refresh has given him the chance to represent his culture again.

“I haven’t had a full pre-season with the Knights in like four years,” Ponga told AAP.

“I’ve always had a disrupted start to the year and I got to the end of the year with no injuries and, maybe because of the way we (Newcastle) lost (in the finals), my mindset flipped straight onto this season.

“Getting that pre-season under my belt was important and I thought timing-wise, I haven’t connected with my culture in three or four years and I feel good.

“I feel comfortable going into this camp and I know what I’ll get out of it.

“If I hadn’t had a full pre-season or was carrying ******** I wouldn’t have played… in terms of when it’s best to play (the All Stars game)? That’s not for the players to determine.”

NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said the fixture, which is expected to draw a crowd of more than 20,000, remained “incredibly special”.

But he said the NRL was open to debate about when to schedule the match.

“There are pros and cons for thinking about moving it to a different representative window,” Abdo told AAP.

“The (ARL) commission is extremely focused on growing the international game, so is there an opportunity to think about that international window in October?

“We want to continue that conversation with the players and all the stakeholders.”

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