KNIGHTS skipper Kalyn Ponga has been cleared for the biggest game of his career - next week's State of Origin decider at Suncorp Stadum - after visiting a neurologist on Monday.
Ponga has not played since he suffered a category-one head knock in Origin II on June 26, his second such setback in the space of a fortnight.
Under NRL protocols, he was ordered to stand down from Newcastle's 38-12 win against Gold Coast on Friday and needed to obtain a specialist's clearance before he next played.
That box was ticked on Monday afternoon and he was able to join his Newcastle teammate, Dane Gagai, in Queensland's squad.
It will be Ponga's seventh appearance for Queensland but the first time he has had an opportunity to win a series.
"Kalyn will have to go through the [concussion] processes," Queensland coach Billy Slater said on Sunday. "Speaking to Kalyn, he should be good."
Meanwhile, Knights prop Jacob Saifiti will be available to play in Friday night's crucial clash with South Sydney at McDonald Jones Stadium, despite being selected in an extended NSW squad for Origin III. Saifiti was named in jersey No.21 and, as was the case before game one in the series, he will spend more than a week in camp with the Blues.
NSW will be based at Kingscliff on the NSW north coast to prepare for the game, but a NSW spokesman confirmed Saifiti would be released in time to rejoin the Knights and play this week.
The Knights are hoping he will be back for their captain's run on Thursday.
Ponga and Gagai, unlike Saifiti, will be unavailable for Newcastle on Friday and are expected to be replaced by Tex Hoy and Bradman Best respectively.
Hoy filled the breach admirably in last week's breakthrough victory against Gold Coast, while Best is set to play his first game since suffering a gruesome dislocated elbow in the 36-12 loss to Brisbane on May 19.
Speculation surfaced last week that Hoy, who is signed only until the end of this season, was poised to make an immediate move to the English Super League.
But Knights coach Adam O'Brien said the club had no intention of granting him an early release.
"I believe that there's been some offers there, but I've already had conversations with Tex," O'Brien said. "He's committed to the team for the rest of this year. He won't be leaving this year."
Asked if Hoy might receive an opportunity elsewhere in the NRL, O'Brien indicated he had not given up hope of retaining the 22-year-old local junior.
"He's a good player," O'Brien said.
"We'd like to hang onto him, too. All that he's expressed is that his management has been approached about a deal, but at the moment, he's playing his part filling in for KP.
"I don't look too much past that."
Hoy's only blemish against the Titans was a wayward performance as stopgap goalkicker, landing only two goals from six attempts.
That took his career record to 10 goals from 20 attempts, which raises the question of whether he will retain the job this week.
"Tex nailed them all week, and the obviously the pressure of the game and the occasion, he had a fair bit on his mind, replacing KP," O'Brien said.
"Obviously one from five in the first half ... there'll be plenty of goalkicking practice this week."
