Kalyn Ponga toilet controversy immortalised in hilarious stunt

If Newcastle Knights captain Kalyn Ponga was hoping the recent toilet cubicle controversy would die down soon, he's sorely mistaken.

Ponga and his Knights teammate Kurt Mann remain in the spotlight after the sidelined duo were filmed being escorted out of a toilet cubicle at a Newcastle pub on the Saturday night their side was beaten 28-10 by the Broncos in round 22.

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The story has dominated headlines in the NRL for more than a week, with Ponga's father Andre claiming that his son had too much to drink after celebrating the purchase of a new property, and Mann was just helping his mate out.

Many were left far from convinced by that explanation, with the club and the NRL integrity unit stepping in to investigate further.

The pair were subsequently made to undergo snap drug tests on the Tuesday after the incident.

Knights director of football Peter Parr fronted the media said the matter would not be taken further by the club as it was in the hands of the NRL Integrity Unit.

It also emerged that the NRL won't be releasing the results of the drug tests from Ponga or Mann, with both players escaping sanction by the club.

Newcastle-born comedian Steve Philp decided he wanted to have a bit of fun at the players' expense, so he set about staging an elaborate prank at the scene of the drama.

Philp is based in Sydney but returned to Newcastle for a gig and decided to pop into the Newcastle pub and set up a plaque in honour of the two Knights players.

He brought it with him to the cubicle in question, before sticking the plaque to the wall.

It read: “The Kalyn Ponga Kurt Mann Memorial Toilet — On the 12.8.22 Kalyn celebrated a house purchase, vomited & Kurt helped his friend”.

Philp posted a video of the stunt to social media, while encouraging fans to drop by and pay a visit if they were in the area.

“So I’m back in Newcastle for a gig tonight and I thought I’d stop by the Hotel Delany,” he said in the video.

“If you don’t know what that is, it’s where Kalyn Ponga found himself in a little bit of trouble last weekend. And because I came back, I thought, I may as well do something special. So I made a Kalyn Ponga Kurt Mann Memorial plaque to go on the very cubicle they were in.”

Andrew Johns' sad reveal about Kalyn Ponga furore

One man who wasn't joking about the controversy was Newcastle's greatest ever player Andrew Johns, who admitted the incident made him sad.

Discussing it on Channel Nine's Freddy and the Eighth show last week, Johns conceded it was "not a good look" for Ponga.

“It’s hard for me to comment because I’ve lived a colourful life... but it makes me sad, not angry,” Johns said.

“The Kalyn and Kurt Mann stuff is still before the tribunal. It’s not a good look when your team is playing away and the captain’s out, and you’re out on the drink.”

The drama has shone the spotlight firmly on Newcastle captain Ponga, with many in the league world questioning whether he is the right man to lead the Knights.

Ponga only this year penned a monster new five-year deal with the Knights reportedly worth more than $6 million.

Johns - who is also a coaching consultant at the Knights - says while he understands the questions around Ponga's leadership, he insists the star fullback is the right man to lead the club.

“Those questions are warranted,” he said. “I think he does (need the captaincy) – he’s their best player.”

Brad Fittler added: “He’s the one the whole club’s based on, you need him to lead and he’s just got to become a leader.”

Johns used the example of Parr's influence on a young Johnathan Thurston at the Cowboys, and says the Knights director of football can have a similar influence on honing Ponga's leadership qualities.

“I thought something Peter Parr said was that when JT (Johnathan Thurston) first went to the Cowboys, there was some rough edges and a few up and downs when JT first got the captaincy,” Johns said.

“But Parry mentored him and we all know the captain and player and leadership qualities of Johnathan Thurston, so hopefully with that sort of influence Kalyn can be that captain.”

Under NRL rules, drug test results are not published, but players who receive a second strike are banned for 12 matches.

Ponga and Mann were both sidelined with injury for the Knights' 22-28 loss against the Canberra Raiders on Sunday.

with agencies

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