'I took it for granted': How Ponga can end a 10-year wait against the Warriors

Kalyn Ponga played in a preliminary final in just his second NRL game.

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At age 18, and as an emerging Cowboys talent, Ponga enjoyed a scintillating debut in a 2016 semi-final win over the Broncos in Townsville. He was then retained on the wing for North Queensland's preliminary final clash with Cronulla in Sydney.

The Cowboys, defending premiers after their breakthrough 2015 title, lost to the Sharks 32-20, exiting a win short of another grand final.

But as a bright-eyed teenager, Ponga thought finals footy and opportunities like playing for a spot in a decider would simply become par for the course.

"I remember a moment, Cohen Hess and I after the game, thinking 'This is us'," Ponga said this week, referring to his similarly young Cowboys teammate of the time.

"It's been 10 years and I haven't been back. You definitely do take it for granted.

"I was only 18 at the time, I probably took everything for granted.

"But you realise when you get older how much work and sacrifice and commitment it takes to get there."

Ponga during last week's win over South Sydney, and inset, during North Queensland's 2016 preliminary-final loss. Pictures Jonathan Carroll, Getty Images

A decade on from his first finals series with the Cowboys, Ponga - now Newcastle's skipper - has a chance to book a spot in a second preliminary final when the Knights take on the Warriors on Sunday.

A victory at Eden Park in Auckland will leave the Knights just one win away from a grand final.

It is Ponga's 163rd NRL appearance this week, and is 10 seasons since his first and only preliminary final.

He is one of only a few Newcastle players to have reached that point in a finals series.

The Knights haven't made one since 2013, and that is their only preliminary final appearance in the past 25 years - since they won the 2001 premiership.

Ponga knows full well what making the final four, and having a chance to play for a spot in the grand final, will mean for a long-suffering Knights fan base.

"It was my second game," Ponga said of the 2016 prelim.

A young Kalyn Ponga, centre, before kick-off in the 2016 preliminary final. Picture AAP

"I remember being in the game, the hype of the game, [but] I was probably just too young to really understand what was going on.

"Obviously one step at a time. We know what's in front of us, in terms of how many games we have to win to get to the grand final, everyone does, but you can't really look past this weekend."

The Newcastle fullback, who has been duly praised for his growth as a leader in recent years, after taking on the captaincy in 2022, is relishing another finals run.

Newcastle have reached the play-offs in five of his nine seasons at the club, arriving in 2018 and punching in for the finals in 2020-21, and 2023-24, in addition to this year.

Warriors players celebrate a try during the 2023 semi-final. Picture AAP

That game was played at a sold-out Mount Smart Stadium, as opposed to Sunday's match at Eden Park, which has a capacity of nearly 50,000 people.

Asked if anything could be taken out of the 2023 game for this week, Ponga said Newcastle needed to "embrace the environment".

"We obviously got flogged over there in 2023," he said.

"We had a big week the week before, emotionally, which probably took a little bit out of us heading into that game.

"We had been up for so long, with that one. Hopefully we can have a better result."

The Knights take on the Warriors just three weeks after playing them at Mount Smart Stadium, in a 46-32 loss.

Saifiti being sent off in round 26 last month. Picture AAP

Ponga said the "game plan, in a sense, will probably be the same", but "having 13 [players on the field] will be nice".

The sold-out semi-final comes after the Warriors lost to the Dolphins 26-16 last week, in a bruising, physical encounter.

"It's going to be unreal," the 28-year-old said.

"Haven't played at Eden Park since the Nines in 2017. To be playing in front of 40,000 to 50,000 people, will be awesome.

"It's going to be a big challenge. Either way, whether it was the Dolphins or the Wahs, two quality sides. Sitting at home, you knew either one was going to be challenging. It's a massive opportunity to go over there and win."

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