It's how he describes the special quality the dynamic Knights fullback possesses whenever an opportunity presents itself.

"He flicks a switch and just goes and gets it," Green said.

Until Saturday, the former veteran Warriors playmaker had only ever been on the receiving end of Ponga's brilliance. He appreciates the view a whole lot better now after witnessing his new teammate carve up the Wests Tigers in the Knights' 44-4 romp at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday night.

"I thought some of his actions tonight and what he did for our team were quite special," Green said following his first game in Knights colours. "I know everyone expects him to be 10 out of 10 every week but I reckon he was a 10 tonight.

"He's obviously a special talent. We've just got to work out how to get him the ball in the right parts of the field which we did at times tonight."

Ponga's stats tell the story. Two tries, two try assists, three line breaks and 242 metres from 20 carries of the footy.

But the irony of Green gushing over his fullback is that indirectly, he can take a fair chunk of the credit for creating the environment for Ponga to excel against the Tigers.

Green's presence as another playmaking and kicking option alongside Mitchell Pearce freed up Ponga to do what he does best - pick his moments and run the footy.

Toohey's News: Listen to Barry Toohey's new podcast in your Podcast app

He didn't kick once in general play and didn't feel the responsibility of having to be there when Pearce couldn't be to come up with a special play at the end of a set.

"It probably took a bit of pressure off me," Ponga said when asked about Green's influence.

"Although Junior [Pearce] does control the side, in past games I've probably had to do a little bit of that as well. Having Blake there, it allows me to focus and use my energy in different areas.

"I guess it also allowed me to pick my moments a bit wiser. I've still got to be able to have my kicking game as a tool in my kit-bag if needed but it definitely allowed me to sit back and observe the game more and like I said, pick my moments to get involved."

Ponga said the way the side won was a big positive heading into the back-end of the season after a couple of losses.

"It felt good out there," he said. "We had some really good performances across the park tonight and I'm sure the boys will take a lot of confidence out of it.

"I thought we played with a lot of control and obviously our halves played a big role in that.

"We might have D Saf [Daniel Saifiti] back this week and he'll obviously add to the pack. If we can play like that, keep it simple and build pressure, we'll give ourselves the best opportunity."

While Ponga stood out, the Knights didn't have a bad player.

Prop Jacob Saifiti had arguably the best game of his career in the NRL and has made it tough for coach Adam O'Brien to leave him out of the starting side with his twin brother Daniel set to return from injury against Manly on Sunday.

His frontrow partner David Klemmer also stood out along with Mitch Barnett and Lachlan Fitzgibbon while Kurt Mann's try-saving desperation at the death when the game was all over will no doubt get a positive airing during O'Brien's video review on Tuesday.

While you're with us, did you know the Newcastle Herald offers breaking news alerts, daily email newsletters and more? Keep up to date with all the local news - sign up here

IN THE NEWS: