But it may not be too long before he is looking over his shoulder if it's not working. And it seems Mason Lino and Phoenix Crossland won't be the only looming threats to his position in the side.

Knights coach Adam O'Brien flagged youngster Tex Hoy as another potential five-eighth contender down the track following a purple patch of form kick-started by the NRL Nines in Perth.

One of the stars of the tournament, Hoy again stood out when he came on during the second half and slotted in at five-eighth in the trial against the Roosters at Gosford.

He celebrated landing a top-30 contract with the club by scoring a brilliant individual 40-metre try from a scrum win, prompting O'Brien to declare Hoy has "an innate ability to make things happen".

"It's a rare talent so it's something we need to work with," O'Brien said.

Asked about the contentious five-eighth spot, O'Brien confirmed Mann would line up alongside Pearce for round one but added: "I guess the one that has put himself in the frame is probably Tex since the Nines.

"Had I had a crystal ball, I'm not saying he would have overtaken Kurt by any means because Kurt is an experienced player, but I would have given him some more time at six in the pre-season.

"That's not to say that we can't start that now. He's got a long way to go defensively, Tex, so I'm not sort of putting him right up there yet. He's had a really good Nines tournament and he's done well tonight, but he's got some work to do and he understands that too."

Hoy's NRL debut is more likely to come this season at fullback, deputising for Kalyn Ponga during the Origin period. But judging by O'Brien's high opinion of him and how quickly he has developed under the rookie coach, nothing is out of the question.

So what does O'Brien like about the 20-year-old?

"Number one, he is a good kid so he ticks the first box. He's our type of guy, Tex," he said.

"I wouldn't say he is casual in nature, I know his father Matt is, but I guess he is a bit more assertive than the gang he hangs out with in KP [Ponga] and Connor [Watson], although Connor can be assertive too.

"Look, they're great young kids. They have a good little group there and I enjoy coaching them but more importantly, Tex's got footy ability. If you see him there tonight run the ball, Tex has got an innate ability to make things happen."

O'Brien is not sure where his future lies positionally.

"I just see he has a future," he said. "Being at fullback all his life just about, you can tend to not be too strong in the defensive department so what I've made really clear to all the guys is the way you get yourself into this side is to be a good defender so he understands that. But look there is a canvas there for us to work with definitely."