Cowboys ‘victims of success’ on Ponga

THE Cowboys claim the club’s premiership success cost them any hope of retaining Origin sensation Kalyn Ponga, ruing the financial pressures that allowed the NRL’s latest superstar to slip the net.

North Queensland have come under fire for losing the Maroons young gun to Newcastle this season in what is shaping as the biggest retention blunder in the Cowboys’ 23-year history.

The man who first spotted Ponga at age 13, former Titans recruitment chief Jamie Mathiou, yesterday labelled him Queensland’s next Darren Lockyer.

While the Cowboys have sensationally capitulated this season, fighting to stave off the wooden spoon, Ponga is the NRL’s newest wonder boy following his magical Origin II debut on Sunday night.

The 20-year-old is the breath of fresh air the ageing Cowboys needed this season, but instead North Queensland have been left to agonise over the sight of Ponga carving up for the Knights.

Cowboys football operations chief Peter Parr spent months in negotiations with Ponga and his management last season.

He yesterday hit out at suggestions the Cowboys botched Ponga’s retention, conceding their maiden premiership in 2015 came at the price of losing their next big thing.

“We were a victim of our own success,” said Parr. “When you play seven finals series in a row and a couple of grand finals and players who have been good for you get elevated in salary, it becomes hard to keep everybody.”