The Newcastle Knights may have recruited successfully following their disastrous wooden spoon campaign in 2025, but fans know the club needs captain Kalyn Ponga on the field if they're going to see any success moving forward.
Luckily for the Knights, Ponga has expressed strong confidence that he will be fit for Round 1 of the 2026 NRL season, as he continues his recovery from a lingering foot injury that disrupted his pre-season.
The Knights' fullback has endured a cautious off-season after scans revealed bone bruising in his left foot, an issue stemming from the Lisfranc injury he suffered midway through last season.
As a result, Newcastle have managed Ponga carefully, limiting his training load and at times placing him in a protective moon boot.
Despite the setbacks, the 27-year-old says his rehabilitation is trending in the right direction.
"The foot is good," Ponga told the Newcastle Herald.
"I'm ticking boxes, I feel pretty good, the foot feels pretty good.
"Things are rolling along pretty well, which is exciting. I'm just keen to get back out there."
Ponga confirmed he has resumed running after spending several weeks in a moon boot before Christmas, describing the process as frustrating but necessary given the risk of further damage.
Knights coach Justin Holbrook explained the club's conservative approach, revealing scans showed minor bone bruising when Ponga attempted to ramp up his workload late last year.
"When he came back and was running, they noticed they got a scan and a bit of bone bruising there," Holbrook said.
"If you keep running on that, it can lead to something worse or a fracture.
"That's why we took the precautionary approach. I'd much rather play it safe now."
While Ponga is hopeful of featuring in at least one pre-season trial, he acknowledged his availability will depend on how his rehab progresses over the coming weeks.
Speaking at a full-club training session, Ponga said he was "very" confident of being available for the season opener.
"Very," he said when asked about his confidence levels.
"I'm just doing everything I can to get it right. I am hopeful [of playing in a trial].
"I think so, the way the rehab is coming along — definitely."
