The Newcastle Knights have confirmed Kalyn Ponga has been granted clearance to return to rugby league.
Ponga recently flew to Canada after his most recent concussion, which came during a Round 2 game against the Wests Tigers.
The fullback turned five-eighth in 2023 was the recipient of specialist treatment in Canada, and the Knights have confirmed that after consultation with all club doctors, Ponga can return to full training with the team from next week.
That means Ponga will be training from Monday, and although he is no chance of playing in Round 7, the Knights have announced they are hopeful he will be fit to take on the North Queensland Cowboys in Round 8.
“We are comfortable with the objective evidence from our independent testing, indicating normalisation of his cognitive function,” Knights' director of football Peter Parr said in a club statement announcing the news.
“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 8 against the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville.”
The Knights sit 11th place on the table with two wins and a draw from their five games - potentially outdoing the expectations of many for the side coming into the season.
Without Ponga, the club have lost to the Dolphins, beaten the Canberra Raiders and drawn against the Manly Sea Eagles next week in Mudgee.
The Knights will play the Warriors this Sunday evening, before hosting the Penrith Panthers on Saturday, April 15, with Ponga's return - likely straight back into the five-eighth role - slated for the following week.
