Parramatta have been urged to speak with Penrith about getting Talagi back.
Parramatta have been urged to contact Penrith about a stunning return for Blaize Talagi, in the wake of Dylan Brown’s $13 million deal with Newcastle. And reports linking Knights captain Kalyn Ponga with a big-money switch to the Roosters are set to heat up after veteran rugby league journalist Andrew Webster insisted the Chooks are “definitely looking at trying to get Ponga” when his contract with Newcastle ends.
Speculation has been rife for weeks that the Roosters and their billionaire chairman Nick Politis are keen to lure Ponga to the club as a replacement for James Tedesco, when the champion fullback decides to hang up the boots. Tedesco’s current deal with the Chooks runs until the end of 2026 and Ponga’s $1.4 million per season deal with the Knights takes him until the end of the 2027 season.
Ponga has also been linked with a switch to rugby union and the chance to potentially represent the All Blacks, having grown up in New Zealand, where his parents both hail from. The Knights captain and his coach Adam O’Brien were both forced to fend off questions about the superstar’s future after Thursday night’s impressive win over the Dolphins, amid reports Ponga is not happy in Newcastle.
Despite the Knights captain and coach insisting he’s settled and enjoying his footy in Newcastle, veteran league journalist Webster insists the Roosters’ interest in the former Dally M Medal winner is concrete and that Ponga is central to plans for a “rebuild” at the Bondi club. The Roosters are cashed up after releasing a host of big-name players at the end of last year and Webster suggested Politis could be looking to land one last massive signing in Ponga before potentially stepping down from the role.
“He’s got two years to run at the Knights,” Webster said about Ponga on SEN radio. “The thing I want to make clear today, there’s been all this talk that Kalyn Ponga to the Roosters is speculative because of his relationship with Roosters recruitment manager Clint Zammit, well take it to the absolute bank that it’s more than that. This is on.
“The Roosters are definitely looking at trying to get Ponga there from 2028 onwards and it’s all part of a bigger rebuild at that club… He (Politis) will want a kill before he finishes and that kill, I have no doubt, is Kalyn Ponga at the Roosters. Webster also believes Newcastle’s mega-money move for Brown was just as much a contingency plan in the event Ponga leaves, as it was about recruiting another marquee star to play alongside their captain and try to win a premiership.
“I’ve got no doubt that the Dylan Brown deal at the Knights was as much about getting a quality playmaker, but also insurance in case Kalyn goes,” Webster added. “I want to make this clear. I’m not saying hat he wants out, I’m not saying he’s unhappy … but he wants to win a comp. If he can’t get it done with Dylan Brown there in 2026 and 2027 he might want to have a look at being part of a revolution with the Roosters from 2028 onwards.”
Parramatta urged to explore shock move for Blaize Talagi
Brown’s impending exit at Parramatta leaves the Eels with a hole to fill at five-eighth, with the likes of Tigers young gun Lachie Galvin and even former Eel and Super League star Bevan French touted as potential targets. The Eels would have had a ready-made replacement in Talagi, who they allowed to leave for Penrith this season, where he was expected to take over Jarome Luai’s No.6 jersey.
However, the Panthers have left Talagi out of their squad for the second straight week, with coach Ivan Cleary preferring Jack Cole at five-eighth after admitting Talagi has not adapted to their systems yet. And league journalist Michael Chammas suggested on Friday that Parramatta would be silly not to explore the possibility of trying to get Talagi back to play five-eighth, if Penrith don’t believe he’s their solution at No.6.
“If I’m Parramatta, I knock on Penrith’s door and I say ‘I know you started the year with Blaize in reserve grade, do you have question marks around Blaize in your system (and) is Jack Cole ahead of him? And is there any appetite to discuss maybe Blaize Talagi coming back to the club,” Chammas said on Triple M.
“I would be asking Penrith the question. You may get told to turn around, get stuffed and go back down the freeway but what have you got to lose? Because when he left, the six jersey wasn’t available. They offered him the fullback jersey and Gutho was going to be used as as a utility (but) he wanted to play six.”
