Gallant Knights’ NRL grand final loss ‘hurts so much’, says standout Kalyn Ponga
The Newcastle Knights lost the NRL grand final to the Sydney Roosters in a narrow 19-18 defeat. Despite the loss, captain Kalyn Ponga expressed pride in his team's performance and vowed to return stronger next season.
Why it matters
The NRL grand final is a major sporting event in Australia, and the emotional response of the star player highlights the high stakes of professional rugby league.
Kalyn Ponga said the defeat to the Roosters ‘hurts so much’ but vowed the Knights would bounce back. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP Kalyn Ponga said the defeat to the Roosters ‘hurts so much’ but vowed the Knights would bounce back. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP NRL Gallant Knights’ NRL grand final loss ‘hurts so much’, says standout Kalyn Ponga Newcastle fullback was brilliant in 19-18 loss to Sydney Roosters
Ponga pays tribute to fans who ‘had to do it tough’ this week
Prefer the Guardian on Google The emotion of the week finally caught up with Kalyn Ponga, who starred for Newcastle despite their 19-18 defeat to the Sydney Roosters in the NRL grand final.
Also covering this story
3 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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