Ponga punt given time

NEWCASTLE coach Nathan Brown has given the Kalyn Ponga five-eighth experiment another five weeks before considering whether to move him back to fullback.

Brown resisted the temptation to shift Ponga back to the No.1 role for tonight’s Round 3 match against Canberra despite losing Connor Watson to injury.

The Knights hope Watson will only miss one week after he was confirmed to have suffered a minor knee issue in last week’s loss to Penrith.

Kurt Mann will deputise at fullback, with Jamie Buhrer on the bench, leaving Ponga to work on his combination with Mitchell Pearce in the halves.

“I learned from Laurie Daley when I was a very young coach – those blokes in key positions, you don’t want to change them all the time,” Brown said.

While Brown believed Ponga was his best attacker against the Panthers, he suggested his decision could rest on how successful Watson proves at fullback.