'Got to grow up': Ponga whacked over toilet saga

1 year ago 69

Dragons seasoned Aaron Woods has whacked Kalyn Ponga aft the Newcastle co-captain broke his soundlessness connected the toilet controversy, saying arsenic a skipper helium "can't hide" and indispensable "grow up".

A video emerged of Ponga and Knights teammate Kurt Mann successful a edifice cubicle in August past year, but the erstwhile didn't code the substance publically until Monday.

Woods, a erstwhile Wests Tigers captain, swiped Ponga's handling of the concern connected LiSTNR podcast Footy Talk.

"He's nine captain. You can't hide. You've got to travel retired and front-foot it. He should person conscionable spoke astir it then," Woods said.

"He went into the toilets with Kurt Mann. They did immoderate they did.

"Come retired and determination on. Just front-foot it determination consecutive away. Now it's dragged connected ... six months, 8 months ... nevertheless agelong it's been. We're coming into a caller season.

"Obviously he's coming disconnected his (calf) injury. Hopefully he's getting his archetypal proceedings this week.

"Now we're bloody talking astir the toilet again.

"He's conscionable got to sound it connected the head.

"You privation to beryllium captain.

"I cognize he's got this blasé attitude, he's a beauteous cruisy benignant but erstwhile helium crosses the tract he's consecutive onto it ... but erstwhile you're nine captain, you've got sponsors and each that you've got to look after, you conscionable request to front-foot these small things."

Ponga and Jayden Brailey were appointed Knights co-captains connected the cusp of the 2022 season, with the superstar fullback enactment successful complaint connected the tract and Brailey disconnected the paddock.

"Look, I emotion him arsenic a player," Woods said of Ponga.

"I emotion watching him play for Queensland, emotion watching him play for Newcastle.

Ponga breaks soundlessness connected toilet cubicle controversy

"But you're not a kid, mate. You've got to turn up. You're the skipper of the nine and you're the look of it, he's 1 of the superstars of our game, he's 1 of the highest earners.

"You've conscionable got to front-foot those things truthful we tin conscionable sound it connected the backmost (and) we don't request to spell connected astir it for the caller twelvemonth of footy."

Sharks skipper Wade Graham backed up Woods' remarks.

"Something that I've learned passim my career, certainly, it could beryllium bully worldly oregon it could beryllium atrocious stuff, but it's amended to conscionable code it consecutive away," Graham said connected the Footy Talk podcast.

"Say what you person to accidental and past determination on. You're ne'er going to get bogged down successful incidents.

"Even successful the bully stuff, you person a bully game, you speech astir it, fine, code that, crook up to the adjacent time of grooming and you get onto the adjacent week.

"Again, due to the fact that helium failed to code it ... present we're talking astir that again alternatively of ... talking astir the caller season, talking astir however bully he's feeling, talking astir however he's travelling aft his concussion stuff. We should beryllium talking astir that and alternatively helium has to speech astir an incidental that happened halfway done past season."

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