Ponga: We're tough, now to be smarter

Kalyn Ponga is in no doubt the Knights can rise above their latest injury setback to keep momentum rolling towards the finals.

The Knights racked up their third win in a row with the 12-0 win over the Cowboys on Sunday but it came at great cost with a serious knee injury to five-eighth Blake Green.

He will undergo scans to confirm whether he's torn his ACL or not. He becomes the fourth regular first-grade starter to end his season prematurely – Ponga lives with one of them in Connor Watson (Achilles).

"It's a pretty chilled household," Ponga said.

"He's up and about now. He's actually just started to walk this week – baby steps but it's pretty big for the house."

While the living is relaxed on the home front, the Knights are in no mood to sit back and rest on their laurels.

"We've got to keep building. We're not content with where we are now," Ponga said.

"We need to be on a steep incline heading into the finals. Yes, we are tough but like I said we need to be smarter."

The Knights are now sixth on the NRL ladder with five matches to play – two of those being against top-eight clubs in the Sharks and Roosters.

As recently as last year, with the kind of injury toll currently plaguing the club, the Knights would have struggled to keep their heads above water.

Now they are heavily favoured to play in the finals for the first time in seven years. 

"We're proud of our efforts," Ponga said. "But you're right, in the last couple of years we wouldn't have used it as an excuse but I don’t think we would have been as resilient as we are now."

Another key is keeping Ponga and halfback Mitchell Pearce on the field.

Ponga had the last pass in both the Knights tries against the Cowboys – that's now 11 try assists for the year along with his 87 tackle-busts.

Pearce has six try assists and an average 360 kicking metres per game.

The strength and continuity of that No.1-No.7 partnership is vital.

"Greeny [Blake Green] took a bit of that slack when he was in. It's not only the spine as a collective but the team as a collective to be honest [on generating wins]," Ponga said.

"It's not just our job alone to steer the team around – we can all play a part.

"We'll be working hard in training this week for whoever comes in [at No.6]."

Coach Adam O'Brien will make that decision on Tuesday. However, it seems likely Kurt Mann will revert to five-eighth and Phoenix Crossland will be the new hooker, with either Tex Hoy or Mason Lino being the No.14 bench utility.

But O'Brien already has what he's wanted from the pre-season – a Knights team that absorbs pressure and keeps punching forward.

"It was the first thing Adzy addressed after the [Cowboys] game that we're becoming a tough team but we've got to be a little bit smarter at times.

"To put that performance out shows what the jersey means. We're definitely proud of how we can play in this jersey – being tough and resilient."