Kalyn Ponga has revealed the mental challenge he faced to bounce back from his State of Origin send-off before leading the Knights to a scrappy 28-22 win over the gallant Eels.
Ponga escaped with a fine for his grade-two shoulder charge on Tolu Koula in Origin I on Wednesday night, but showed no signs of the mental scars with a typically busy display at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle on Saturday afternoon.
Dylan Lucas, fresh from Origin camp with NSW, was brilliant for Newcastle, scoring a double and proving a handful on the left edge for Parramatta half Ronald Volkman, while fellow NSW Blue Jacob Saifiti was menacing.
The Knights (8-4) have now won four on the trot, scoring 150 points in the process, and are fourth on the ladder midway through the season.
