'Be myself': Ponga's wise words to help Kini shine

Just be yourself.

That's the simple but effective piece of advice Maroons superstar Kalyn Ponga gave Titans rising star Keano Kini when the duo roomed together for last week's Māori campaign.

Getting to immerse himself and learn more about his family heritage in his first All Stars experience, the 20-year-old fullback also took the chance to pick the brains of the 2023 Dally M Medallist whose career started very similar to Kini's when he first came to fame in the NRL in 2016.

But despite now having 133 games of experience under his belt and plenty of learnings through his years of first grade and Origin campaigns, Ponga kept his advice short and sweet for the young gun who appreciated the straightforward words of wisdom.

"It was very relaxed... he didn't want to overload me," Kini told titans.com.au.

"He just told me to be myself. It was a cool experience.

"He's just a very chill dude."

Proud to represent his Pasifika heritage for the first time, the dynamic No. 1 was a standout on the field when he came on, taking over from Ponga out the back to notch up 151 running metres across 52 minutes - topping his team's tally - and setting up his side's first try with a pin-point cut-out pass to Jesse Arthars.

"It was a really good experience... especially to be with the boys and learn more about my culture," Kini said.

"Being with Ponga and Dane Gagai amongst others was a really cool experience for me and I learnt a lot from all the boys on and off the field.

"The biggest thing I took out of it was how much I want the game to be played every year, I just think it's too important to leave out.

"I felt so proud to represent my culture and really see what it means to be Māori."