Pearce talks up Knights playoffs hopes after Ponga comeback: “Sky’s the limit for this team”

Mitchell Pearce has taken out his red-and-blue pen and re-inked Newcastle back into the NRL’s playoff race, after his Knights stormed to a 38–0 boilover against the Cowboys.

As recently as just three weeks ago, many were running a thick red line through the Newcastle Knights. The Hunter team had slid to 13th on the ladder, and just copped 40–4 and 24–10 losses to the Eels and Rabbitohs to put them there.

The problem, however, wasn’t the team’s effort.

Instead, it was the club’s spine. 

Kalyn Ponga, Mitchell Pearce, Jayden Brailey, and mid-season Cowboys recruit Jake Clifford had ⁠— at that stage in the season ⁠— played zero games together in 2021.

Last week, Mitch Pearce (torn pec) finally returned after three months watching from the coaching box. He was a vital part of Newcastle’s wet, wild 10–6 victory over the Warriors at McDonald Jones Stadium. Then, talismanic fullback Kalyn Ponga (groin) rejoined the starting side, and guided Newy to a monster 38–0 lockout against North Queensland.

The back-to-back wins have sparked Newcastle.

The Knights are now within striking distance of playoffs too, in ninth. They boast a 7–9 record and sit level with the Sharks in eighth (14 points) and ahead of the Cowboys in tenth with the Round 17 bye in their pocket. The NRL 2021 playoffs are wide open for them.

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Pearce knows it too; he declared as much after his side’s big 38-point win. The halfback admits he’s “excited” to see how far the Knights spine ⁠— finally assembled ⁠— can do together.

“I really do think this team can go far,” the 32-year-old said.

“As soon as Cliff [Jake Clifford] came, and while me and KP [Kalyn Ponga] were injured, we sat down and went over a lot of video to work out what suits the team best, and what suits us.

“We knew we needed to come back with a nice platform, and Cliff’s brought a lot of ideas himself. We just want to get back to the best styles that suit each individual so Cliff’s kicking game, his running game, playing nice and direct off me and him, then giving ‘KP’ some room.”

The new style is suiting Pearce too. He spread his influence across the park in a 9.9km running effort, created two of the team’s seven tries, and twice put Ponga ⁠— who scored a double on Saturday ⁠— through the Cowboys line.

• Read More: Footy boss Peter V’Landys: ‘Get used to NRL blowouts’

“We believe that the sky’s the limit for this team now,” he added. “We’ve got heaps of potential to go. Like it has been said, the comp’s there. It’s there for us this year.”

Pearce had to watch his Knights go 3-7 while he was sidelined.

Newcastle’s hard-boiled coach, Adam O’Brien, echoed a similar sentiment during the game’s post-match press conference at McDonald Jones Stadium.

“We’ve got belief,” the 37-game helmsman said of his team’s chances to make the NRL playoffs and go deep. “We had belief before the Cowboys game, we know what the back end of the season… we know what we need to go after.

“Right now, the Knights need to be banking wins.

“I know it’s cliche and boring, but [we’re] just taking it one week at a time,” O’Brien added. “We’ll get ourselves in the eight, and it’s a new competition then.”

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