DANE ELDRIDGE: Is upcoming Rugby League World Cup the festival of Kalyn Ponga?

Kalyn Ponga fell agonisingly short of a grand final fairytale that would’ve seen the streets of Newcastle awash with equal parts emotion and tear gas.

But despite missing a chance with the Knights to inscribe his name in to a city’s folklore, can he go one better at the World Cup and inscribe an entire nation’s?

2027 has already been a banner year for the will-o’-the-wisp fullback, with his feats on the paddock matched only in numbers by the litany of thirsty reels online celebrating his alluring aura and midriff.

Maturing to a leader without diminishing his Gen Z chill, Ponga’s year won’t only be remembered for hauling the Knights off the canvas via a force of will so bloody-minded it almost got Silverchair to reform.

It will also be recalled for thawing any last traces of longstanding unease with the club’s fans after years punctured by injury and get-out clauses.

In addition to playing the house down, this was achieved by quietly inking a contract extension in April that didn’t involve delays, links to Sydney clubs or glib comments about dreaming of an All Black jersey.

And while he couldn’t cap the year with a premiership ring, 2026 will undoubtedly go down as Ponga’s most ornate yearbook- and now he can add even more clippings with the Kiwis.

As a kid of Māori descent born in Western Australia and raised in Queensland and New Zealand who played for the Junior Kangaroos while dreaming of being an All Black, there was only one certainty about Ponga’s representative allegiance:

He was always destined to play for Queensland, mainly because their eligibility laws are so flexible they extend to include the Inuit.

But as for his international allegiance, this was subject to years of uncertainty until April when Ponga committed to New Zealand- and now both have the chance to do each other a favour.

For those unaware, the Kiwis have always been international footy’s undisputed second best team.

Besides their upset win in the World Cup final of 2008, they’ve always threatened to put the wind up Australia, but it usually only lasts for 20 minutes before the adrenal sugar hit of the Haka peters out.

In fact, besides the odd Four Nations boilover and the last Pacific Championships, Ponga is the biggest win they’ve had over the Kangaroos for years.

But with a 2026 squad rippling with blue chip forwards and Ponga lurking out the back with confidence abundant, that could all be about to change.

The Kiwis have never been short of scary metre-eaters, but this squad’s middle rotation of James Fisher-Harris, Joseph Tapine, Moses Leota, Naufahu Whyte and Erin Clark makes the megabeef sides of yore look like a string of chipolatas.

Considering Ponga ignited the Knights with a comparably stringier forward lineup, him stalking from behind a Kiwi pack that breathes lightning will be like a Suzuki Jimny getting towed down a runway by an A380.

Whether it’s enough to challenge the supremacy of the Kangaroos and their street-smart middle men remains to be seen, but you couldn’t ask for a better playmaker in the game right now to capitalise on 700kg of mean middles.

A successful World Cup for Ponga would not only cap a year of firsts - his first grand final, his first season without links to the Roosters and a first year in new international colours - it would go a long way to crowning a season that was supposed to be coronated on grand final night while also establishing him as the Fresh Prince of the Shaky Isles.

Yes, nothing can mimic the unique outpouring that would’ve accompanied a Knights premiership, but a Kiwi World Cup triumph would be equally folklorish and unique for New Zealand considering the current Warriors boom and the years as perennial bridesmaids and a feeder team for emerging Pasifika nations.

And more than enough to inscribe Ponga’s name on an unforgettable year that’s had everything except a ring and tear gas.