READY TO GO: Newcastle Knights' boom youngster Kalyn Ponga is set to make his debut with his new club on Friday night against Manly.

READY TO GO: Newcastle Knights' boom youngster Kalyn Ponga is set to make his debut with his new club on Friday night against Manly. Alastair Reid

RUGBY LEAGUE: Despite intense expectation placed upon his young shoulders, Kalyn Ponga refuses to be weighed down.

For over a year Ponga has been coming, but on the eve of the NRL season, the boy wonder is ready to arrive in his long-awaited debut with the rebuilding Knights at home against Manly on Friday night.

While the spotlight will be following Ponga's every move on the field, the West Australian native has "no regrets” about his decision.

"I'm not putting too much pressure on myself. As a team, we love playing with each other and we're just excited to play,” Ponga said.

"I'm just looking to have fun (doing it). I'm still young and have a lot to learn.”

Ponga's journey from boom youngster to potential superstar of the game has been well documented, after the former South Mackay junior announced at the end of 2016 that he'd be leaving the North Queensland Cowboys to take up a five-year deal with Newcastle from this season.

So big is the deal, worth around $600,000 a season plus representative bonuses, Ponga is set to be the highest paid teenager in the history of the NRL and sky-high expectations are matched only by potential, which the likes of Knights legends Andrew and Matthew Johns, and former team-mate Johnathan Thurston believe is endless.

Thurston, who feared Ponga was making a mistake by leaving the Cowboys, tried to convince the young gun to stay, but Ponga said his former mentor understood the decision.

"It's a part of footy. People leave, different opportunities pop up, and he understood my reasoning,” he said.

"He's a good bloke and cares about juniors coming through. When someone leaves, you're sad, but you're happy for them at the same time.”

Taking advantage of the lifestyle on offer in Newcastle, Ponga has found a balance by pursuing interests outside of the football bubble.

Wasting no time in trying his hand at surfing, he and four mates have dipped their toe into the retail market to create clothing label "Barrel Boys”.

"I thought by coming to Newcastle, the opportunity to surf was there. I couldn't do it in Townsville, I asked the boys to take me out and they were keen,” Ponga said.

"I feel happy and comfortable and life (balance) is pretty important. We've sold a few shirts, it's good as I'm not just solely focussing on footy.”

Ponga represents a new-look Knights side with the likes of NSW Origin half Mitchell Pearce and former Sydney Roosters forward Aidan Guerra also signing on as the club looks to make a rise back up the ladder.

With his team focus, Ponga is happy to grow into his career and despite being touted as a future Maroon after pledging his allegiance to Queensland and Australia over New Zealand, Ponga said it would be one step at a time, starting with Friday night.

"I'm not really thinking about (Origin). Those opportunities will come, I'm not getting ahead of myself and am just thinking about club footy,” he said.

They're (Manly) a good side and apparently there's a bit of a rivalry there. From round one it's about sticking to basics and competing, so hopefully we get a good crowd.”

While unsure of what the club can achieve in 2018, Ponga said he and his team-mates had been working hard, and weren't playing for a wooden spoon.

"We're working hard on building combinations and figuring out how each other plays. It's hard to say what we can do but hopefully we get some wins and have fun doing it,” he said.

"You don't do (long) pre-seasons to come last, or fourth, you want to come first.

"But as long as the effort is there and everyone has a dig we'll be happy. It's hard to put a mark on it, but we're looking for effort and to grow as a team.”