Newcastle star Kalyn Ponga will make his long-awaited return for Newcastle on Saturday night after passing his final fitness test on Friday. The Queensland fullback has finally overcome a troublesome groin injury which ruled him out of the second State of Origin match and kept him sidelined since round nine. After a week of solid heavy work leading into the match against North Queensland, Ponga got through the captain's run at McDonald Jones Stadium without any dramas, to the delight of coach Adam O'Brien. "He's a certain starter, so I don't anticipate any changes to the team," O'Brien said on Friday. "It's great to have him back, the spine is the strongest we've had since round two last year now, so things are looking up. "Provided we understand the importance of it's not just up to the spine, we need everybody playing well tomorrow night. "We've got a bye coming up, it's a four-point game for us."
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