Kalyn Ponga dragged into ugly storm around Panthers' plan to ditch World Club Challenge

The Panthers are set to officially withdraw from the World Club Challenge next year in a huge blow to the international game, and fans are calling on the NRL to act after Kalyn Ponga was criticised for a similar decision. The Knights fullback stunned the NRL community after he withdrew from possible Kangaroos selection to focus on the pre-season next year.

This comes after Ponga missed nearly 10 weeks at club level after suffering a fracture in his foot. The electric fullback was in contention to make his debut for Australia, but opted to get some extra rest after his team who only just made the top eight.

After making the decision Ponga was threatened with sanctions by the NRL if he didn’t make himself available for the Pacific Championships. Mal Meninga was reportedly fuming with Ponga and there were calls to ban him from State of Origin. NRL players are expected to make themselves available for selection to better the international game. Therefore the fullback backflipped on his decision.

The saga was deemed irrelevant on Monday after Mal Meninga overhauled the Australian squad for the Pacific Championships with Ponga, James Tedesco, Daly Cherry-Evans and Jake Trbojevic all snubbed. Nathan Cleary won't play for Australia have opted to undergo surgery on his troublesome shoulder.

However, fans are now calling for the NRL to come down with similar force on Penrith after chief executive Brian Fletcher claimed the Panthers would withdraw from the World Club Challenge due to player fatigue. The Panthers will have up to 11 players competing in the international matches in the coming weeks after a gruelling NRL campaign, which saw them lift their fourth straight premiership.

But due to fears of player burnout, the Panthers are set to withdraw from the competition – scheduled for February 15-16. This has not sat well with fans who feel the Panthers should make the effort as NRL champions to make time for the game.

Ponga was slammed for his decision to give his body a rest and make sure he could tackle the 2025 season as fit as possible. This comes after two seasons of injury concerns surrounding concussion and a foot fracture.

Yet, Ivan Cleary's men appear set to forego the World Club Challenge to give their representative players a break. And fans have called for the NRL to act against Penrith with the clash between the best team of the NRL and the best of the Super League used to better the international game of rugby league.

Nathan Cleary to skip international campaign

Meanwhile, Nathan Cleary has opted to make himself unavailable for Australia's clashes against Tonga and New Zealand as he prepares for surgery in the coming weeks. Cleary played through the pain of a shoulder issue to help Penrith win a fourth-consecutive premiership in the 14-6 victory over the Storm. Kangaroos coach Meninga had named Cleary in his preliminary squad for the end-of-season Test matches, but there had been rumours for weeks he wouldn't be able to play.

James Tedesco dropped as Kangaroos captain

While Cleary won't be taking part due to injury, coach Meninga opted to select NSW Origin and premiership winning fullback Dylan Edwards in the No.1 due to his form. And Meniinga admitted it was the toughest call to make dropping the incumbent fullback and captain.

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“It was a difficult conversation,” Meninga said about Tedesco being dropped. “It’s a bit of an evolution for the team on the back of what happened in the Pacific Championships last year.

“With that in the back of our minds (we made the call to drop him). Origin was really important for discussion across the selection table and form into the finals as well. It was a difficult conversation, but bear in mind that Teddy played Game 1 for the NSW Blues, and then Games 2 and 3 Dylan was the fullback. We chose based on Origin form.”