Kalyn Ponga announces five-year deal with Newcastle Knights

Kalyn Ponga on Wednesday. Picture: Jonathan Carroll

KNIGHTS fans can now breathe easy with Kalyn Ponga going nowhere.

Newcastle's captain addressed ongoing speculation about his contract negotiations after the club called a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

Ponga revealed a five-year deal, keeping him at the Knights until the end of 2027.

The Maroons representative has played 78 games for Newcastle since joining the club in 2018. He made his NRL debut for the North Queensland Cowboys in 2016.

Varying reports have circulated recently about Ponga's playing future, some suggesting he was en route to new Queensland franchise the Dolphins and others extending his stay in the Hunter.

The Knights also issued a media release on Wednesday afternoon.

"Kalyn is a quality person with great family values," Knights chief executive Philip Gardner said.

"We are delighted to secure his future and look forward to watching him lead this club for a very long time.

"This signature adds to the forward momentum we are building, giving loyal Knights members and the local community another reason to be excited.

"Kalyn sees the vision and direction we have committed to take for the club. He agrees we have the right coach, appreciates the exciting new facilities, and wants to succeed with the Newcastle Knights.

"I want to personally thank Kalyn, and his father Andre, for the respectful manner and professional approach they have applied throughout negotiations."

Kalyn Ponga

Ponga's new deal commences next season and the Knights say it replaces "all existing options and clauses from the current contract".

The announcement comes as controversial mid-season recruit Anthony Milford joined the Knights for his first training session on Wednesday.

Just 24 hours earlier it became official that suspended lock Mitch Barnett would leave Newcastle at the end of this season and link with former coach Nathan Brown at the NZ Warriors as part of a three-year deal.

Tuesday also saw Adam Clune and Hymel Hunt both named in the Knights' squad to tackle Parramatta at McDonald Jones Stadium this weekend.

Newcastle have lost their last four games after opening 2022 with back-to-back wins.

The Knights sit 11^th on the competition ladder, but only two points shy of the top eight.