New fullback the No.1 priority for Newcastle Knights after coach confirms Ponga switch

Having previously expressed reservations about switching Ponga from fullback to the front line, O'Brien admitted when pre-season training kicked off in November he was re-considering that option but "hadn't completely decided on it yet".

In a radio interview with SEN on Tuesday, however, O'Brien indicated he had settled on Ponga as pivot, a position he has played only a handful of times during his 97-game NRL career.

"When Kalyn was ruled out for the end of the season with his HIA issues, the decision was made then that if we were ever going to move Kalyn to six, now was the time," O'Brien said.

"Essentially we've got five months [to prepare].

"He had a very brief break in October and then started training before everyone else.

"We've changed his training program, so he's obviously put some size on in the gym, but he's been training at six all summer and doing a really good job at it."

O'Brien said new recruit Jackson Hastings, Newcastle's likely starting halfback, would make Ponga's transition "a lot easier".

Ponga has played four games as five-eighth for Newcastle, and also represented the New Zealand Maori and Junior Kangaroos in that capacity.

Ponga's move raises the question of who will handle the custodian role for Newcastle.

The Knights are eager to sign former Australian Nines rugby union representative Lachlan Miller, but thus far Cronulla have not indicated they will release him from the remaining year of his contract.

O'Brien said recruiting a fullback "probably remains a priority for us", but in the meantime English import Bailey Hodgson, who is yet to appear in the NRL, former Brisbane playmaker Tyson Gamble and former Kangaroo Gagai were being considered.

"We've trained a number of guys back there," O'Brien said.

Gagai has played one game at fullback in the past five years but was regularly deployed in that role by former Newcastle coach Nathan Brown in 2016 and 2017.

Gagai certainly has the athleticism to handle fullback, and the move would be one way to resolve the defensive issues he encountered last year as right-side centre.

He missed more tackles (88 in 20 games) than any other outside back in the NRL last season, and was also responsible for 19 defensive lapses in the three-match State of Origin series.

Moving Gagai would also create a potential pathway for 20-year-old rookie Krystian Mapapalangi, who debuted in the NRL last season and did not appear out of place in his two games.

Enari Tuala and Hymel Hunt are more experienced alternatives.

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