Official NRL profile of Kalyn Ponga for Newcastle Knights

Height:: 184 cm
Date of Birth:: 30 March 1998
Weight:: 92 kg
Birthplace:: Port Hedland, WA
Age:: 23
Nickname:: KP

Debut Club:: North Queensland Cowboys
Date:: 16 September 2016
Opposition:: Brisbane Broncos
Round:: Finals Week 2

Previous Club:: North Queensland Cowboys
Junior Club:: Souths Mackay, Easts Tigers Brisbane

Biography:

The 2018 and 2020 Danny Buderus medal winner, Ponga enjoyed a stunning season last year.

A staple of the Queensland State of Origin side, the livewire has become a highlight-reel machine and stamped himself as one of the game’s best fullbacks.

Ponga was born in Port Hedland, WA but is a Mackay junior.

He made his NRL debut for the North Queensland Cowboys in 2016 and played nine games with the side across two seasons.

A speedster with cunning footwork, his ability to beat defenders is one of his strong attributes.

Ponga is signed with the Knights until the end of 2024 and is primed for a huge season in 2021.

ABOUT ME ...

Who am I ... Kalyn Ponga
Who is most important to me ... Can’t really split them but my mum, dad and little sister
Greatest off-field achievement ... I haven’t probably achieved what I wanted to off the field, my goal was to go to University and study, started my secondary school teaching degree but haven’t finished it, that is probably something I want to achieve
Something you wouldn’t know about me is.. My biggest fear is bugs, love my photography, I also used to play a lot of golf and thought I wanted to play golf professionally
I’d be lost without... Connor, my roommate, he looks after me
What I love most about living in Newcastle... Love the beach and my mates, the boys that are here, both in the top squad and a few in the 20’s and some local mates.
I grew up ... Grew up everywhere, spent the longest in Palmerston North which is in New Zealand
People would describe me as ... Laid-back, easy-going and relaxed
As a kid my hero was ... My dad, always
They were my hero because... He always inspired me to be the best that I could be whether it was school or sport
The last book I read was... The Subtle Art
My favourite song to listen to on game day is ... Nonstop by Drake or the song Chicken Soup
My favourite thing to do in Newcastle is ... Go the beach, get out and about, go on adventures and take photos
My greatest on field moment... Anytime you put on a jersey for the first time is a big achievement, my debut, playing for the Knights and then playing for Queensland as well.

Appearances: 76
Tries: 36

Appearances: 8

Scoring

Tries: 6
Goals: 10

Kicking

Goal Conversion Rate

Attack

Try Assists: 7
Line Breaks: 5
Tackle Breaks: 36

Passing

Receipts: 330

Defence

Tackles Made: 31
Missed Tackles: 18
Tackle Efficiency

Running Metres

Average Running Metres: 141
Total Running Metres: 1129

Fantasy

Total Points: 413
Average Points: 51.6

2021 Season - By Round
Summary														Passing		Defence		Running Metres
Round	Opponent		Score	Position	Minutes Played	Tries	Goals	Points	Kicking Metres	Try Assists	Linebreaks	Tackle Breaks	Post Contact Metres	Offloads	Receipts	Tackles Made	Missed Tackles	Total Running Metres	Hit Up Running Metres	Kick Return Metres
5	Titans	Lost	42 - 16	Fullback	80	1	2	8	72	-	1	5	26	2	36	8	3	180	-	48
6	Sharks	Won	26 - 22	Fullback	80	2	3	14	32	2	2	8	41	3	39	7	1	172	-	44
7	Panthers	Lost	24 - 6	Fullback	80	-	1	2	77	-	-	4	35	1	49	1	2	179	-	68
8	Roosters	Lost	4 - 38	Fullback	80	-	-	-	100	1	-	3	25	-	61	2	3	111	14	30
9	Raiders	Won	16 - 24	Fullback	80	1	4	12	-	1	1	7	27	3	35	7	5	119	-	-
16	Cowboys	Won	38 - 0	Fullback	75	2	-	8	-	2	1	4	38	-	50	1	2	212	-	38
18	Storm	Lost	48 - 4	Fullback	32	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	-	16	1	1	33	-	7
19	Roosters	Lost	28 - 8	Fullback	80	-	-	-	7	1	-	3	24	1	44	4	1	119	20	39

Career By Season

	Year	Played	Won	Lost	Drawn	Win %	Tries	Goals	Points	Kicking Metres	Kicking Metres Average	Goal Conversion Rate	Forced Drop Outs	Try Assists	Linebreaks	Receipts	Tackles Made	Missed Tackles	Tackle Efficiency	Total Running Metres	Average Running Metres	Kick Return Metres	Total Points	Average Points
Cowboys	2016	2	1	1	-	50%	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	28	4	1	75.00%	235	117.55	27	48	24.0
Cowboys	2017	7	2	5	-	29%	3	-	12	50	7.14	-	-	-	8	153	19	8	64.04%	879	125.00	413	287	41.0
Knights	2018	20	7	13	-	35%	6	27	78	1,295	64.77	69.23%	7	11	12	698	105	42	67.44%	2,855	142.00	990	1,050	52.5
Knights	2019	20	8	12	-	40%	11	48	140	1,117	55.83	80.00%	8	9	15	718	113	42	66.45%	2,557	127.00	788	975	48.8
Knights	2020	19	11	8	-	58%	10	46	132	1,598	84.11	65.71%	8	14	12	791	54	41	53.19%	3,502	184.00	1,064	1,106	58.2
Knights	2021	8	3	5	-	38%	6	10	44	288	35.95	71.43%	-	7	5	330	31	18	63.27%	1,129	141.00	279	413	51.6

Career Overall

	Year Start	Year End	Played	Won	Lost	Drawn	Win %	Tries	Goals	Points	Kicking Metres	Kicking Metres Average	Goal Conversion Rate	Forced Drop Outs	Try Assists	Linebreaks	Receipts	Tackles Made	Missed Tackles	Tackle Efficiency	Total Running Metres	Average Running Metres	Kick Return Metres	Total Points	Average Points
Cowboys	2016	2017	9	3	6	-	33%	3	-	12	50	5.56	-	-	-	9	181	23	9	71.88%	1,115	123.00	440	333	37.0
Knights	2018	2021	67	29	38	-	43%	33	131	394	4,298	64.14	71.58%	23	41	44	2,537	303	143	67.94%	10,044	149.00	3,122	3,531	52.7