Knights legend Kurt Gidley backs Kalyn Ponga to excel in his new pivotal role

"I couldn't really put a time frame on it, but with Kalyn, I just hope everyone stays patient," Gidley told the Newcastle Herald.

"He's one of the best athletes in Australia and I believe he'll make a successful transition to five-eighth."

For the second time in his 97-game NRL career, Ponga is attempting to reinvent himself as a pivot, having already established himself as an elite-level custodian.

The Queensland Origin representative spent the first three rounds of 2019 as five-eighth, before he was hastily reinstated as Newcastle's last line of defence by then Knights coach Nathan Brown.

Four years later, Brown's successor, Adam O'Brien, is intent on converting his skipper on a permanent basis and Gidley said he was "enthusiastic" about the potential dividends.

"He can make the transition, without a doubt," Gidley said.

"We're talking about one of the best athletes in the competition, someone who could have probably made a career in rugby union, AFL or even golf if he didn't choose rugby league.

"So he's a supreme athlete, number one, but he's also a competitor.

"I know how much passion he has for the game and the team. So I believe he can make that transition really successfully."

Throughout his 251 games for the Knights, Gidley regularly switched between fullback and the halves without missing a beat. But he felt continuity would be a key factor in Ponga's makeover.

"I think for any player who plays a number of positions, the more time you get to settle and train in one position, that's only going to be beneficial for the player and the team cohesion," Gidley said.

"From what I've heard, he's trained at five-eighth all through the pre-season.

"Spending time in that position is definitely what's required, both from an attacking and defensive point of view."

Ponga produced an underwhelming performance in last Friday's 36-14 loss to Parramatta in a pre-season trial, but it was his first outing in almost seven months after missing the last six games of Newcastle's 2022 campaign through concussion.

He also tore a calf muscle last month, which limited his preparation before last week's 40-minute hit-out.

O'Brien said it was a "pretty big ask" for Ponga to have played against the Eels and predicted he would "only get better and better".

Gidley agreed with that assessment.

"He has the individual brilliance to do some amazing things, but I think all of us need to be patient and give him some time to play in that position," Gidley said.

"The first step for him is playing back-to-back footy, week in, week out, where he's knocking out 80 minutes each game.

"I don't think he has to set the world on fire in round one. Let's just be patient with him."

Gidley said the most important outcome on Friday night was that Ponga emerged unscathed.

"As a past player, I can tell you that if you're coming back from injury and haven't played for a while, there are obviously some doubts and all you want to do in trials is get through them," he said. "So I was just happy for him to get through that game.

"He's had a calf injury, but it was obviously OK for him to play and now he's got a couple of weeks to really hone his training and get himself ready for the Warriors in round one."

A member of the Knights' Hall of Fame and the club's longest-serving captain, Gidley said playing fullback and five-eighth required "two different energy systems" but was confident Ponga could adapt.

"Kalyn has trained there all pre-season and he'll be fit enough to handle it," he said.

"I saw him down at the beach recently and he looks in top nick. He looks like a bloody racehorse."

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