Kalyn Ponga is a professional rugby league footballer who plays for the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League. The 20-year-old rising star has been selected for the Maroons to come off the bench in Sunday’s State of Origin II.

In 2013, Ponga, then a scholarship holder with the Brisbane Broncos, moved to Brisbane. He attended Anglican Church Grammar School and competed for their rugby union side in the prestigious GPS competition, while also playing rugby league for the Easts Tigers in the Cyril Connell Cup. That year he made the Australian Schoolboys under-15 side for the second consecutive year. While in Brisbane, Ponga also began playing Australian rules football and was placed in the Brisbane Lions Talent Academy, where he was considered an outstanding prospect.

An article on NRL.com has described Ponga as “the most brilliant player on rugby league’s horizon”.

https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/06/18/kalyn-ponga-in-as-queensland-maroons-name-state-of-origin-ii-team/

Photo credit: NRL.com