Kalyn Ponga breaks silence on toilet cubicle furore after six months
The Newcastle Knights fullback has broken his silence on the incident that caused uproar.
Newcastle superstar Kalyn Ponga has broken his six-month silence over the toilet cubicle affair that rocked the club late last season. But the Knights skipper didn't really address the specifics of the night or go into great detail, maintaining he went into the Hotel Delany's cubicle with teammate Kurt Mann because "I was sick".
Ponga, who was recovering from concussion at the time, was filmed leaving the toilet with Mann on the night their team was playing Brisbane in a round 22 clash at Suncorp Stadium. The pair, both on the club's injury list, had drinks in their hands but denied they were involved in any illegal activity.
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Neither Mann nor Ponga were punished by the Knights or NRL. "I was in the wrong. "(I shouldn’t have been) putting myself in that position and I shouldn't have been out or anything like that in the first place," Ponga admitted on Monday.
"It was a period that I look back on and I think it's probably one of the most pivotal moments in my life. I've put things in place now that will help me be a better person and hopefully be a better leader as well.
"I've reflected on my responsibilities as a leader and learned so much from that time. I just want to set new standards, be a better leader for this team.
"I know how much this town cares about the team and about the success of the club and I want to show that we also care as well." Asked why Mann had accompanied him to the toilets on the night in question, Ponga replied: "He was there to help. It was the food I had earlier (that made me sick).
"I can't go back and change anything. The only thing I can do is live in the now and learn from that lesson.(There's been) a lot of self-reflecting over the off-season."
Kalyn Ponga vows to make it up to fans
Ponga now understands how bad his actions on the night looked to outsiders. "I always support the boys, always support my teammates, and they know how much I support them at all times," he said.
"I can see the frustration from the fans but I just want them to know how much I do care." Knights football general manager, Peter Parr, denied the club had turned a blind eye to Ponga's behaviour on the night.
Parr told Channel 9: "I don’t know how you could say we swept it under the carpet when the NRL Integrity Unit conducted a thorough investigation. For us, it’s about ongoing education and making sure players are well aware about what’s acceptable and what's not acceptable."
Ponga will move to five-eighth this season and has declared a top eight finish is the benchmark for a Newcastle side that finished 14th in 2022.
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