Dylan Brown wants Kalyn Ponga to help him take World Cup off Australia

Marquee signing Dylan Brown is looking forward to forging a dynamic partnership with Kalyn Ponga at Newcastle, and potentially in the New Zealand team at next year’s World Cup.

Brown starts his lucrative 10-season tenure with the Knights later this month after three eye-catching performances at the recent Pacific Championships, when he helped the Kiwis clinch the title and was named player of the tournament.

The combination of the former Parramatta five-eighth and Ponga offers a glimmer of hope that Newcastle can rebound from last season’s disastrous wooden-spoon campaign, and Brown is eager to kick off pre-season training and start building a relationship with his new skipper.

“He’s one of the best players in the NRL,” Brown said of Ponga. “He’s going to be a lot of fun to play with.

“If he’s firing, all I’ll have to do is give him the ball. I feel like the team has a lot of other quality players as well, and being able to play with those boys is going to be exciting.”

As well as joining forces with Ponga at club level, Brown would love to see the 2023 Dally M medallist wearing a New Zealand jersey.

Brown has been capped 11 times by the Kiwis, but Ponga is yet to appear in the international arena at the top level, despite playing 10 Origins for Queensland.

Born in Western Australia, Ponga qualifies for New Zealand through his parents and has played three times for the Maori All Stars.

To represent the Kiwis, as the rules stand, the 27-year-old would need to turn his back on Queensland and request an official exemption from the International Rugby League, given he has previously represented Australia at the 2019 World Nines.

Alternatively, there has been speculation the ARL Commission will relax the selection criteria so dual-qualified players, such as Ponga, Victor Radley and Addin Fonua-Blake, can play Origin and for nations other than Australia.

Either way, Brown believes Ponga would be a great addition to a New Zealand squad that next year will be chasing its first World Cup trophy since 2008. Australia beat Samoa 30-10 to win the title in 2022.

“That’d be cool,” Brown said. “I think he’s actually starting to find a lot of love for his culture. I think his dad’s Maori, and his sister is over living in New Zealand.

“She’s real connected, so hopefully she convinces him to come. It’d be awesome seeing him in the black jersey, because he’s a great talent.”

Ponga remains non-committal about his international allegiance. In 2024, he declared himself unavailable for the Kangaroos, only to backflip after angering coach Mal Meninga, who proceeded to omit him from the squad anyway.

In a recent radio interview with New Zealand station Sport Nation, Ponga said: “All my values, who I am, everything that I am, really is back in New Zealand. It’s my family, it’s my culture.”

But when asked about international football, he was still keeping his cards close to his chest, saying: “I’m yet to put on a representative jersey for a nation, so not sure how that’s going to pan out.”

Brown’s New Zealand and Newcastle teammate Phoenix Crossland has spoken to Ponga about linking with the Kiwis.

“He’s everything the team needs,” Crossland said. “He’s a Kiwi. I know ‘Stace’ [coach Stacey Jones] and the boys would love to have him here.

“But it’s up to him, and obviously the rules as well. I think if he could find a way to get around the rules, he would make the switch. I know he’s a very proud Maori. His family is all from New Zealand.

“To get him in camp would be pretty special. I think he’s pretty keen. But as I said, it’s up to him and the rules as well.”

Brown had no doubt New Zealand, after dominating the Pacific Championships, were capable of surpassing that by winning their second World Cup next November.

“It’s anyone’s game on a big day,” the 25-year-old new father said. “Anything can happen. I’m sure everyone’s going to come ready and there’s going to be some good competition next year.”