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Find your frequency hereIncoming Knights CEO tells all on confidential Ponga meet
Sam Kosack • August 12th, 2025 4:15 pm
Incoming Newcastle CEO Peter Parr has revealed details of the confidential meeting with Kalyn Ponga that ended speculation around an impending move to Rugby Union.
One month ago, the Knights were in disarray with rumours Ponga had engaged a New Zealand agent to explore a move to Rugby Union and Adam O’Brien’s days as coach were numbered.
It was a meeting with Peter Parr and an emphatic statement from Ponga that put those rumours to bed.
“Committed to the end of 2027," Ponga wrote on Instagram, “Excited about the vision of the club. Appreciate those that support me!".
Speaking on SEN 1170 Afternoons, Parr opened up on the circumstances of that private meeting.
“I told him that I needed to have a really good talk about where he was at with his future, and that would remain confidential between me and him because we don't like playing that sort of thing out in public” Parr said.
“Right from the very first minute in that meeting, he was positive about playing rugby league, playing for the Knights, and wanting to be successful at the Newcastle Knights.
“People will say that I summoned him into a meeting that wasn't true. They also said that it took two or three days for me to catch up with him and then he was putting me off. That's not true because it was my workload of me being out of town that delayed the meeting.
“He wanted to put something out prior to our meeting but he thought it would be better to withhold that until after we met.
“I don't need to disclose what he actually said to me, but because I gave him my word… He gave me his word that he was committed to see out his contract, and no doubt about that.
“People then said to me that the statement wasn't long enough. My view on that was, no matter whether it was two pages, two paragraphs, or two lines, it still says the same thing.”
The 27-year-old is contracted until the end of 2027 and is reportedly the highest paid player in the NRL.
His retention was imperative for the club’s future success, having also invested heavily in Eels’ five-eighth Dylan Brown to build a combo capable of bringing Newcastle their first premiership since 2001.
Parr acknowledged the signing of Brown to the richest deal in NRL history is a risk, but with two new teams entering the competition in the next three years, moves need to be made now to stay ahead of the curve.
"We think (Dylan's) a real class player. We think that he can make a difference to our football team, the way we want to play," Parr commented.
"We think he's a high-quality half and we think he can play some halfback if we want him to.
"At the moment, we don't have that level of half in our club, nor do we have one that is coming through that's going to play first grade in the next couple of years.
"We got a couple of really good ones a bit further down but we think that to try and compete to be a top 4 team, which is where we want to head to, then we need some real quality in the halves, and we think Dylan, along with Fletcher Sharpe and Kalyn Ponga at fullback, can provide that for us.
Parr also revealed he believes Fletcher Sharpe could make the transition to halfback, same as 2024 Dally M medalist Jahrome Hughes.
"(Positions will) be up to the coach to decide but we believe that Fletcher Sharpe has some real qualities to play anywhere in the back line," Parr revealed.
"I remember Jahrome Hughes was at the Cowboys when I was there and sat behind Kalyn Ponga and Lachlan Coote as a fullback and his manager took him to Melbourne.
"(I asked) why are you taking him there? Because he's going to be stuck behind Billy Slater but they turned him into a halfback.
"I think the real quality players can play more than one position and Fletcher Sharpe's a real quality player.
"I think he's made a real great fist of five-eighth and if Adam, or the coaching staff decided that, he's a long-term halfback here, I think he's got the qualities to be able to do that as well."
