Knights coach: NRL bunker 'jumping at shadows'

1 year ago 77

Newcastle star Kalyn Ponga was near successful a authorities of disbelief erstwhile helium was taken from the tract for a HIA successful the dying stages of his side's clash against the Warriors, with his manager accusing the bunker of "jumping astatine shadows."

An autarkic doc pulled Ponga from the tract with 11 minutes near arsenic the Knights were down by 2 points going into the dying stages of the game.

Ponga, who suffered 3 concussions past twelvemonth forcing an aboriginal extremity to his season, was taken by astonishment erstwhile referee Chris Sutton ordered the 24-year-old permission play erstwhile helium collided with Warriors prop Addin Fonua-Blake.

NRL Highlights: Warriors v Knights Round 1

He said helium wasn't concussed and could not judge helium was forced retired astatine specified a pivotal moment.

"It volition beryllium absorbing to spot their instrumentality connected it, I person been knocked retired earlier and decidedly wasn't successful immoderate state," Ponga said.

"I couldn't judge it, 10 minutes to go, crippled connected the line, I americium virtually fine, I deliberation there's an appraisal that usually goes connected but I got taken disconnected by an autarkic doctor.

"It caught maine by surprise, I said to the ref 'I'm not going off', but it's not his call, it is idiosyncratic successful a box."

The Newcastle playmaker besides highlighted the consciousness of disorder that ensued aft helium near the crippled and was not capable to implicit a caput sound appraisal with a nine doc connected the field.

"I did it successful the passageway but it is simply a 10 infinitesimal process, but there's usually a process connected the tract wherever they cheque your balance," helium added.

"But that wasn't the lawsuit due to the fact that it was an autarkic doc successful a container somewhere, came consecutive off."

According to Knights caput manager Adam O'Brien, the autarkic doc ruled the sound a Category Two blow, meaning Ponga wasn't allowed to beryllium assessed connected the field. He took purpose astatine the bunker for overreacting.

"There was a infinitesimal to go, truthful it ruled him retired of the game," O'Brien said.

"But helium was unaware of immoderate incident, similar helium said, helium knows what they consciousness like.

"And we've worked truly hard, helium has to get himself backmost successful the crippled and present we are jumping astatine shadows to get him retired of the game, I don't get it."

The knights fought to the extremity successful the 20-12 nonaccomplishment and battled connected without prima Tyson Frizell, who failed a HIA successful the archetypal half.

"I was truly arrogant with the effort defensively, we had to flooded immoderate worldly tonight, we mislaid Frizell early, Phoenix got enactment successful the bin," O'Brien said.

"We defended with 12 men, past Kurt gets taken disconnected the backmost of the dormant shot line, and we are down to 12 again, and past they instrumentality him off.

"We had a spot to get through… I americium truly arrogant of the quality of the group."

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