A disappointed Andrew Johns has spoken up following a controversial week for his former club the Newcastle Knights.
It was a week that saw the 14th-placed club's captain Kalyn Ponga and utility player Kurt Mann drug tested after a video of the pair leaving a bathroom cubicle together surfaced online.
The video was uploaded just hours after the Knights' 28 - 10 loss to Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium. Ponga and Mann both were absent from the side due to concussion concerns and soft tissue injury respectively.
Additionally, centre pair Enari Tuala and Bradman Best were stood down for failing to meet team standards after missing the team bus in Brisbane.
The club have also had issues regarding David Klemmer in the past fortnight, having been linked with a move to the Parramatta Eels before being stood down just a day later for a week over allegedly verbally abusing an on-field trainer who was attempting to have him be interchanged off the field.
Johns was asked to comment on the club's current predicament on Channel 9s Freddy and the Eighth.
Concerning the Ponga, Mann situation Johns admitted it was, "not a good look, the team is playing away and the captain is out on the drink".
Questions over Ponga's suitability as captain at Newcastle have been raised following the incident. However, with the backing of Newcastle's new Director of Football, Peter Parr, Johns believes Ponga can overcome his issues and should retain the club captaincy.
“Those questions are warranted,” Johns accepted.
"(But) He’s their best player. When Johnathan Thurston first went to the Cowboys, there were some rough edges and some ups and downs when he first got the captaincy but Parr said he mentored him during that time and we all know the captain, the player and the leadership qualities of Johnathan Thurston.
"Hopefully, with that sort of influence, Kalyn can be that sort of captain.”
The former two-time Newcastle premiership winner expressed more frustration with the actions of Tuala and Best.
“The one for me is Bradman Best and (Enari) Tuala missing the bus, it’s the biggest no, no. You cannot be late for training, you can not be late for a meeting, it’s disrespectful to your teammates, to your club," Johns Said.
