Phil Gould has delivered a passionate plea to NRL powerbrokers after the controversial decision from Kalyn Ponga to withdraw from Kangaroos selection.
The 26-year-old opted to make himself unavailable for the Pacific Championships, citing a desire to win a premiership next season with the Knights.
The call from Ponga has divided opinion across the game, with Andrew Johns calling out his former club for the way they handled the situation.
But according to Gould, the withdrawal from Ponga is only the tip of the iceberg.
“Kalyn Ponga has no legitimate grounds to pull out,” he said on Wide World Of Sports’ Six Tackles With Gus.
Kalyn Ponga won’t feature in the Pacific Championships. NRL Photos
“It would have been really easy for the medical department to give him a certificate and say he needs to get a clean out of his ankle or he’s got an issue with this or that.
“But I understand Kalyn and the club’s frustration. The season is too long and I know the Commission gets it and Peter V’landys gets it and they’re going to get there. By the same token, it leads to an unfortunate situation like this … which I think is terrible.
“I really feel for him, I’m not frustrated by it – I’m frustrated by the system. We don’t consult the clubs enough on this part of it and the demands of the season.
“This is one of the challenges for the game and the NRL needs to control world rugby league so it has a rolling five or eight-year calendar. We can’t keep playing into the cricket season, because we can’t get ready for the following season.
“You can’t just flick a switch and get ready for a season. Recovery and rest is important, but so is training … you can’t keep burning the candle at both ends.”
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Ponga isn’t the first player to pull out rep commitments in recent years and he certainly won’t be the last, but the fact his decision wasn’t based around injury is what has led to concerns within the NRL and a potential sanction coming his way.
Under the current collective bargaining agreement, players need a certain amount of time off in between playing commitments and for someone like Ponga, it would have meant returning to Newcastle pre-season training in mid-January/
And that’s exactly why Gould is urging the game’s decision-makers to create a shorter season and open up a mid-year window for rep football to be played.
“I keep saying our domestic season is too long,” he said.
Phil Gould has called for a change to the NRL schedule. Getty
“Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo addressed this in their interview. If we get to a 20-team competition and we all play each other once, that becomes a 19-week competition and there’s a window in the middle of the season to play Origin and Test football.
“We need to try and play all of our football between March and the end of September. If we keep starting earlier and finishing later and keep having to give them time off, which I don’t agree with … when’s the training and preparation time?
“It’s a cumulative effect that happens over a period of time.”
Ponga’s absence will likely open the door for either Dylan Edwards or James Tedesco to wear the No.1 jumper for the Aussies next month.
