Kalyn Ponga named at five-eighth for Newcastle's clash with Gold Coast despite calls for Knights star to play fullback

Ponga was named to resume his play-making role against the Titans at McDonald Jones Stadium despite suggestions from around the game for the Knights skipper to return to his old position.

Former champion playmakers Brad Fittler and Andrew Johns had questioned persisting with Ponga in the halves in light of his most recent performance.

The 25-year-old had one of his worst games in the side's 43-12 loss to Parramatta, targeted in defence and missing at least eight tackles.

But O'Brien has stuck solid with his marquee man - on paper at least - and mooted as much after the Eels game.

"Yeah, of course," O'Brien said when asked if Ponga would still be five-eighth.

Ponga vowed to learn from his shocker and said after what was his first 80-minute effort in the role this season: "I'm not going to let that performance eat me up."

"This move to six is, while I want to be the best now, it's a journey, it's an experience and I want to be better."

O'Brien chose, in fact, to stick with largely the same team that lost to Parramatta for Sunday's game.

Kurt Mann, who started at hooker against the Eels, has dropped out of the side due to injury. Phoenix Crossland will wear the No.9 jersey.

Experienced forward Adam Elliott appears on track to play his first game since round one after being named on the interchange bench.

Elliott reinjured a groin issue in the season-opener and has painstakingly worked his way back to full fitness the past two months.

Gold Coast coach Justin Holbrook made only one change to his side that beat Parramatta during Magic Round on Sunday, bringing dummy-half Kruise Leeming back into the 17 in place of utility back Keano Kini.

The Titans signed experienced Leeming from Super League earlier this season but he is yet to start a game. Former Knights hooker Chris Randall has been the preferred No.9, starting every game except round one.

After a poor 2022, in which they finished 13th following six wins and 18 losses - the same as Newcastle - the Titans have improved this season to be placed seventh after nine games (five wins, four losses).

They are three points above the Knights, who sit 12th after three wins, a draw and five losses.

Before their 26-24 thriller with the Eels, the Titans beat Manly (26-10) and lost to the Dolphins (28-26). They beat Melbourne in round three.

Newcastle, meanwhile, will be hoping to put their dismal display against the Eels behind them on Sunday.

With a tough run of games coming up in the middle third of the season, halfback Jackson Hastings said it was imperative the side started notching victories.

"We've got to make sure we hit the ground running," he said.

"We've been getting pats on the back for coming close.

"In the NRL we've got to win, and that's the most important thing - to get the two points."

Hastings, who joined the Knights late last year on a three-season deal, said while the Knights had shown improvement earlier this campaign, they'd let wins go begging.

"We've have improved, or this group has improved on last year, but at the same time coming close isn't good enough in the NRL," he said.

"We are happy with the progress as a whole that we've made, but we're not happy we haven't iced some of those games.

"Manly, we probably should have won that; Penrith, we probably should have won that.

"[North Queensland], we conceded a soft one to lose.

"There's six points we probably could have had."

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