Kalyn Ponga gave lengthy consideration to joining Wayne Bennett at the Dolphins before ending fevered speculation about his future by signing a new five-year NRL deal with Newcastle.

Ponga’s new contract will keep him at the Knights until the end of the 2027 season. The 24-year-old had been heavily linked with a move to join Bennett at the Dolphins ahead of their entry to the competition in 2023.

That conjecture was only made possible because of clauses agreed to in his previous contract, which was signed in 2020.

In a bid to appease the full-back and his father Andre, who acts as his manager, the club allowed Ponga player options in the final two years (2023 and 2024) of his previous deal.

Those clauses essentially allowed Ponga to walk away from the Knights to join a rival NRL club or switch codes and test himself in rugby union.

Ponga had until June to activate the clause for the 2023 season, but the new deal has eradicated those clauses and assured that he will remain with Newcastle.

The Queensland Origin fullback said he weighed up the chance to become a marquee foundation player for Bennett at the Dolphins but wanted to remain at Newcastle in the hope of winning a premiership.

“It definitely was [an option to join the Dolphins],” said Ponga, who was flanked by his father, Knights coach Adam O’Brien and club football manager Danny Buderus for the announcement.

“For me, the way we’ve always gone about things is you want to put everything on the table to know what was in front of me. If you’re going to sign for five years you want to know what’s going on.

“I feel like the vision here is more for me … I want to work hard the next five years as a Knight to win a comp.”

Ponga has played 76 games for the Knights and along with representing Queensland, has turned out for the Māori All Stars. He expressed a relief that he would no longer be subjected to weekly questions about his future after games.

“It is going to be good to have all the rugby union and other questions after games out the window,” he said. “I have always been dedicated and I guess that five-year stamp cements that.”

O’Brien said the retention of Ponga was not only a boost for Newcastle but also the NRL competition as a whole.

“It’s a real shot in the arm for our players and staff to have him commit to us for five years,” O’Brien said. “He sees we are on the right track and wants to be at the forefront of it.

“He brings a lot of people to this game because there are a lot of kids running around backyards pretending to be KP.”

Meanwhile, Anthony Milford arrived at the Knights on Wednesday after receiving approval to return to the NRL following the withdrawal of three assault charges last week.

Milford will not be available for selection until round 11 as he undergoes a rehabilitation program.