KNIGHTS coach Adam O'Brien says he is inclined to stick with Kalyn Ponga as goalkicker, despite the recall of Mason Lino for Saturday's clash with the Warriors in Tamworth.
Ponga has been Newcastle's kicker in all 14 matches he has played this season, landing 42 goals from 64 attempts at 65.6 per cent.
But last year, when the dynamic fullback had an 82.7 per cent accuracy ratio, he voluntarily relinquished the job to Lino, telling then coach Nathan Brown: "Mason's the best kicker."
Lino's career strike rate is 81.6 per cent and last season he was on target with 33 of 39 shots (84.6 per cent).
O'Brien said Ponga and Lino would have a "shoot-out" at training and he would talk it over with both players.
"I'm not fully decided," he said. "I think those two guys will make a decision when we have a look at the conditions out there."
Ponga has kicked three from five and two from five in Newcastle's past two games, wins against Manly and North Queensland respectively.
But both games were played in windy conditions and O'Brien said it was important to "keep it in perspective".
In the Manly game, Ponga nailed a high-pressure conversion to seal a a 26-24 win and O'Brien said he liked the idea of persevering with the 22-year-old.
"Goalkickers wear it as a badge of honour," O'Brien said. "He practises just as much as anyone.
"He's out there working hard at it, and I think if you just take stuff off guys all the time, you'll end up opening up a different leak somewhere else in the game.
"He's got a heap of confidence at the moment, with the ball and without it, and just going in and snatching something from him, I don't think is the right thing to do."
Having recently re-signed with Newcastle until the end of 2024, Ponga could potentially become one of the club's highest-ever pointscorers in the years ahead. He is seventh on the NRL pointscoring charts this season with 108 from six tries and 42 goals.
Lino, on the other hand, is off contract at the end of this season and there is no guarantee he will be retained.
The 25-year-old is in his second season with Newcastle but is yet to play an NRL game this year, after making 12 appearances last season.
From a kicking perspective, Ponga is unlikely to hold many fond memories of Tamworth's Scully Park.
In his last appearance there, in round seven 2018, he kicked one from five in howling winds during a 22-20 win against Wests Tigers, before handing the job to winger Ken Sio.
Ponga's clash with champion Warriors fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck shapes as a highlight of Saturday's game.
"They're playing a really tough brand of footy at the moment," O'Brien said of the Warriors.
"High completions, getting to the kick, I've really noticed that in them over the last four weeks.
"Roger certainly plays a big part in that. We'll need to do a good job on Roger but he's got a fair few helpers."
