Ponga will begin his full-time shift to the halves on Friday night for New Zealand Maori against the Indigenous All-Stars, before moving to the role in the NRL this year for Newcastle.

The move has been one of the most hyped of the pre-season, but Knights officials are confident Ponga will have the same ability to jump into the team's attack at will in 2019.

The 20-year-old will also be given the licence to roam on both sides of the field looking for opportunities, after breaking through 108 tackles and tallying 14 try-assists in his first season at the club.

"I don't think fullback and five-eighth play a great deal different," Brown told AAP.

"It's just the defensive roles are very different. One has a little more tackling and the other has to organise all of his mates to cover a lot of field at the back.

"He's not going to be playing any different at all.

"The only thing that will change for him is building combinations with new players and adding things to his game, which would be the same as if he was playing fullback anyway."

Arriving as Newcastle's prodigy last season from North Queensland, Ponga went within two points of becoming the youngest Dally M winner in history.

He has spent the summer training at five-eighth and is confident defensively after making 28 tackles in the front line in last year's Queensland State of Origin debut.

And while he's worked closely with Knights halves partner Mitchell Pearce, he's adamant he's going to be his own style of player at five-eighth and not base his game on previous greats.

"I would like to think I'm not someone else - I'm my own sort of mould," Ponga said.

"Obviously, you can watch some of the greats and see why they're the greats. That's about being competitive and wanting to win.

"I don't think I will mould my game around anyone. I will do what I do.

"I'll pick things of other people and maybe incorporate it and make it mine. But there's no one I want to mould my game around."

Australian Associated Press