Kalyn Ponga hands Knights massive boost after concussion ruling
The five-eighth received the results from his assessment in Canda.
The Knights have received some great news after Kalyn Ponga was cleared to make his return from concussion for his team's clash with North Queensland in two weeks. Ponga returned from Canada late last week after advanced neurological assessment following his fourth concussion in the space of 10 months.
The club sent Ponga over at the end of March to Vancouver to undergo an assessment with a device that can measure brain activity, which is not yet available in Australia. And in good signs this week, Ponga returned to training with his teammates.
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Ponga was waiting for results to return before making a comeback as he returned to training with the club. But the five-eighth received great news and has been cleared for a return for the clash against the Cowboys on April 22.
Newcastle's return-to-play plan means the superstar playmaker will miss five matches from the date of the head knock. He also sat out the final six games of last year.
Restricted to less than 80 minutes of football so far this season, Ponga will be put through two weeks of training before his comeback against the Cowboys.
"We are comfortable with the objective evidence from our independent testing, indicating normalisation of his cognitive function," Knights football boss Peter Parr said. "Kalyn has recovered well from his recent concussion. However, he has had limited specific training due to the amount of travel he has had to undertake in recent weeks.
"We will now focus on building his physical and tactical performance, with an aim to return in round eight against the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville."
Where will Kalyn Ponga play upon return?
Newcastle will have a decision to make on where to play their million-dollar marquee man on his return, amid questions on whether he should defend in the front line.
Many have called for Ponga to avoid defending in the front line to avoid the heavy contact. Some critics have called him to move back to fullback, which is where he has played most of his career and saw him star for the Maroons in last year's State of Origin.
While NRL guru Gus Gould admitted the coaching staff know best, he questioned whether Ponga should have been moved at the beginning of the season. "The people who coach him and work with him every day probably know best what position he should be playing. I don't like to second-guess coaches for that reason," Gould said.
"I just don't understand the obsession these days with trying to move class fullbacks into the five-eighth position. Maybe because they can go and buy another fullback but they can't go and buy another five-eighth. I just don't know that's the right position for him at the moment."
Ponga's latest head knock appeared to act as the catalyst for the NRL to introduce a mandatory 11-day stand-down period for any player who has suffered a concussion. Under new protocols, any player who has been concussed will be unable to play again for a minimum of 11 days - except for in extraordinary circumstances.
Ponga missed the final six weeks of last season while recovering from concussion.
with AAP
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