Child who rejected Kalyn Ponga's kind gesture says Knights star is his favourite player
The mother of a seven-year-old boy who went viral on social media after TV footage captured him refusing to accept Kalyn Ponga's headgear, says the Knights star is his favourite player.
In awkward scenes at fulltime of Newcastle's 36-14 trial loss to Parramatta on the Central Coast on Friday night, youngster Andy Condon was warming up to play a game with Toukley Hawks, when Ponga walked over and handed him his safety gear.
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In unexpected scenes, Andy rejected the gesture, put his mouth guard in and walked off, leaving Ponga red-faced.
Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Andy said he thought it was too good to be true.
"I only handed it back to him because I thought he still wanted it, but he didn't," Andy said.
"I ended up keeping it. I told him I listened to his podcast. I follow Newcastle and Penrith, but Kalyn is actually my favourite player."
Andy's mother Holli was quickly contacted by her partner, who was watching the hilarious footage from the other side of the country.
Kalyn Ponga appears to be brushed by a young fan who has no interest in his headgear. Instagram
"Andy loves his footy, it's his third year of footy, and he actually loves Kalyn," Holli said.
"He reckons he will wear it every week now. He even wanted to wear it tonight during the game, but the headgear is signed now, so he might want to get it framed instead."
As for the play on the field, Ponga had a mixed bag with his performance in his first match in the No.6 jersey, following his switch from fullback.
He set up a try for Bradman Best with a lovely short pass, but his defence was questionable, missing several tackles up in the line.
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