May 23, 2026 — 4:30pmNSW forward Jacob Saifiti is ready to dish the dirt on his Newcastle clubmate Kalyn Ponga as the Blues attempt to nullify the impact of Queensland’s brilliant fullback for game one of the Origin series.Ponga was chosen ahead of Reece Walsh and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow in the Maroons No.1 jersey for the opener at Accor Stadium on Wednesday after missing last year’s decider with a foot injury.Jacob Saifiti and Kalyn Ponga are Newcastle teammates – but that counts for little at Origin time.Getty/Matt DavidsonIn fine form for a Knights side that has been one of the surprise packets of the NRL, rising into the top four, he shapes as one of the main dangers to Laurie Daley’s side.If the Blues are looking for the inside word on him, they will need to look no further than Ponga’s Newcastle colleague of nearly a decade.Saifiti is back in the NSW squad for the first time since 2023 and has vowed to provide the inside word on the Knights captain in a bid to thwart his influence for Queensland.“He’s a good mate of mine and a teammate back in clubland, but if any of the boys want any secrets on him, I’ll tell them for sure,” the front-rower said.“I don’t have my Knights jersey on this weekend, neither does he. We’ve got two different jerseys on. He’s not my mate on Wednesday night ... I do love the bloke, but not Wednesday.”Saifiti said he wouldn’t be giving up club moves but could provide valuable insight on Ponga’s style after playing alongside him and training against him since the fullback’s arrival from North Queensland in 2018.There had been speculation that Ponga would be selected at halfback for the Maroons, but he was picked in his preferred position, where he has played most of his 10-game Origin career including a man-of-the-match display in the 2022 series decider.“Although he’s tricky, I feel like I know some of his cues and stuff. I won’t shy away from telling the boys,” Saifiti said.Jacob Saifiti trains with the Blues squad on Saturday.Getty Images“But in terms of mate versus mate, I had to play against my twin brother [Daniel] last year, so playing Kalyn will be pretty easy.”The only prop on the Blues bench, the 30-year-old has an important part to play for Daley beyond offering up intelligence on one of Queensland’s strike weapons.Saifiti admits he was worried initially about the effects the changes to the six-again rule this year might have on big forwards like himself.“But I’m actually playing way more minutes,” he said. “I feel like I’m playing way better footy, so if anything my job’s going to be a bit easier. I’ve been playing 60 minutes, 65 minutes every week.“Although he’s tricky, I feel like I know some of his cues. I won’t shy away from telling the boys.”Jacob Saifiti on Kalyn Ponga“Obviously, I’m not going to have to do that, so it just means I’m going to have to bring a lot of energy in that short amount of time I can.”Saifiti is an automatic starter for his club, but coming off the bench is not foreign to him. He had twin Daniel and former Blues enforcer David Klemmer ahead of him earlier in his career at the Knights, and it was as an interchange player when he made his two previous appearances for NSW.He is embracing taking up a role previously occupied by Rooster firebrand Spencer Leniu.“If anything my role will probably be a bit more simplified … [to] bring a lot of energy, bring some impact,” he said.“Momentum is so important these days and with the speed of the ruck and stuff, it’s so hard to get it back.”“If we’ve got the momentum, my job’s to go on there and maintain it. If we don’t, my game should be to go on and get it back.”News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.Chris Barrett is a senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former South-East Asia correspondent for the Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.From our partners