Kalyn Ponga stepped out for his first day of pre-season training with the nib Newcastle Knights on Monday, one of a number of new faces to be welcomed to the Club for 2018.
The 19-year-old talent will look to lock down the starting fullback role, but knows it won’t come easy with an impressive new roster established for next year.
“You always have to work hard, nothing is guaranteed,” Ponga stated.
“If I work hard and keep myself fit then hopefully I get that spot... but I’ve just got to get through pre-season first, which is probably the hardest part.”
After a well earned break, Ponga admits it was nice to be back on the paddock, but this time in the red and blue.
“It's awesome because I have missed footy,” Ponga said.
“The boys have welcomed me extremely well and I was just excited to get started."
Ponga will be looking to build on his nine NRL games with the Cowboys and develop some new combinations at the Knights.
“It is a young crew, which is pretty refreshing for me,” Ponga explained.
“Coming from the Cows with a lot of senior players, it was good to mix with them but we’ve got a young crew here and I’m just ready to get stuck in and see how they play and see the combinations we can make.
“I think the first person I met was Rossdog (Nathan Ross) and we all know how much energy he has.”
