Kalyn Ponga has broken his silence following a shock State of Origin snub - but the Knights star has turned his attention solely to helping his club side play finals footy in 2023.
After being overlooked for the Queensland lineup in favour of young gun Reece Walsh, the 25-year-old switched to his preferred position of fullback for Newcastle's Round 13 win over the Sea Eagles.
Ponga finished with 163 run metres, two linebreak assists and one try assist in a classy display, helping the Knights to a much-needed 28-18 victory in front of their home fans at McDonald Jones Stadium.
Speaking to the media after the clash, Ponga admitted he felt more comfortable in the No.1 jumper and despite copping a few big knocks, wasn't feeling the effects on the field or post-game.
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“I felt comfortable at the back - obviously I have played there for so long and I feel quite natural back there," he said.
“I probably felt I used my eyes a lot more at the back. Being able to see both sides of the ruck, I probably felt a little bit freer in that sense.
“I did cop a couple of hits, but they were fine. I’ve already said it a couple of times now – I’ve had enough [concussions] and I wouldn’t stay on the field knowing if I wasn’t right... I didn’t feel concussed or anything like that.
“I’ve just gotta play games – I can’t worry about that. I’m fortunate that today I had a couple and there was no affect and I felt fine.
"It’s a part of footy and part of my game a little bit and I have had a couple, but I can’t worry about them and I can’t go into games worried about that. I have to move on and do my role and try play good footy.
"The main point was to get the win – it wasn’t pretty, but I thought we finished the game quite strong."
Kalyn Ponga breaks silence on shock Origin snub
Billy Slater was forced to make a huge call in just his second year as Maroons coach, and he ultimately shed the long-standing loyalty tag associated with Queensland by leaving Ponga out of the side.
Given the lack of football under his belt and concerns over his recent head knocks, Slater went with the hot hand in Walsh, who has lit up the competition and sat near the top of the Dally M leaderboard before votes went behind closed doors.
Ponga refused to kick stones however and showed his professionalism, revealing a phone call with the Origin coach and his desire to help Newcastle return to their best.
“I was disappointed early, but I’ve got good support around me," he said.
"As soon as I knew what the decision was from Billy, I accepted it and respected it and moved on.
"I knew that I had a job to do this week for the Knights and nothing that I did out there was for Queensland – it was all for the Knights and for myself. I want to play games, I need to play a lot more footy and just be on the field.
“We had a good conversation – I respect Billy’s decision, I support Queensland and I’m excited to see the boys go on Wednesday."
Ponga wasn't the only player from the Knights to be dropped from the Queensland lineup, with long-standing centre Dane Gagai also overlooked by selectors.
Knights coach Adam O'Brien praised both his marquee men for their attitudes and performances following the unfortunate news.
“I want them to play Origin – players want to play rep footy and I would never hold them back from that," he said.
"I’m a human being too and when they don’t pick them, I’m glad they’re out there for us certainly.
"Like Kalyn said, naturally they are going to be disappointed but that was Monday and we had review that day… when we trained Tuesday, they were the best trainers out on the field.
"That’s a really good sign for us moving forward."
