We love the mighty Canberra Raiders
It can't be easy having one of the game's greatest halfbacks as your coach.
The expectations for success in that position at the Raiders have been unnecessarily high, with every halfback rated in comparison to Ricky Stuart.
And there have been plenty since Stuart's forced departure to the Bulldogs at the end of the 1998 season.
Andrew Johns, the legendary halfback, didn't hold back in his assessment of the Knights' performance, labeling it as 'terrible' and urging the team to lift their game.
It was a reality check for Ponga, who had been riding high after his Dally M win and stellar performance in the finals last year.
But as they say in the world of Rugby League, one game doesn't define a season.
The Knights will need to regroup and bounce back quickly if they want to live up to the high expectations placed on them this year.
In his first game with the Green Machine's keys well and truly in his pocket, Jamal Fogarty kicked the Knights to death.
The Canberra Raiders halfback's kicking game steered his team to a season-opening, 28-12 victory in Newcastle on Thursday night.
The Raiders made the finals off the back of gritty wins last year and, while there might be a lot of young green shoots this season, they proved they've still got that competitive spirit.