'Rare footballer' Sharpe sets sights on No.6 jersey

Knights utility back Fletcher Sharpe hopes to make the No.6 jersey his own after showing promising signs in his side's 44-18 Witzer Pre-Season Challenge loss to Parramatta.

Logging almost 70 minutes at five-eighth, the 20-year-old Cessnock junior set up two tries in three minutes early in the second half and anticipates another appearance at pivot in Newcastle's final trial against Sydney Roosters at Gosford on Sunday.

"I think that will be the plan, that would be good," Sharpe told media after the Eels game.

"First crack at it tonight, and plenty to work on, so hopefully I can have the week at training this week then next week work on those improvements."

Sharpe played alongside Jack Cogger in the first half and Tyson Gamble for much of the second.

Knights coach Adam O'Brien will consider his halves options for the trial against the Roosters, with an eye on their NRL season-opener against Wests Tigers at Leichhardt Oval on March 7.

"I guess that's the point of the trials, trying to find out what pairing works best, and what positions suit people the best," Sharpe said.

"So that will be the plan again next week, seeing what works best for us and hopefully going into round one with a clear mind."

Sharpe sparked the Knights in the second half of last season, initially at fullback covering for Kalyn Ponga before finding a regular spot on the right wing.

He scored 11 tries in 12 NRL appearances, was named the club's Rookie of the Year, earned selection in the Prime Minister's XIII against Papua New Guinea, then in January he inked a contract extension keeping him in Newcastle colours until 2028.

Sharpe played in the halves as a Cessnock junior then moved to fullback when he graduated to the Knights' SG Ball ranks in 2022. He and O'Brien discussed a switch back to the halves during pre-Christmas conditioning training, and it gained momentum last month.

"Coming into the season, there was always talks with the coaching staff about trying it," he said.

"Then 'Ads' (O'Brien) kind of said that it's yours if you want to work for it, so that was the plan coming back after Chrissy - I wanted to really get in there and learn the trades of that position.

"As I've said, I played it in juniors but it's a whole different ball game at this level, so there's a fair bit to work on still.

"I guess you have different thoughts, thinking about different things, getting the team around the park a little bit more, not just playing off the cuff, I guess.

"There's similarities, it's pretty similar to fullback when you've got the ball, but plenty to work on."

The Knights made too many handling errors in humid conditions against the Eels and could not build enough pressure to test Parramatta's defence for extended periods. Their best stretch was the 20 minutes after half-time, when they cut a 22-4 deficit to 22-18, but they could not sustain it.

"When we got the ball, I thought we created some pretty good chances, but we didn't get much of it. Errors probably limited the amount of chances we got, and defensively there's a fair bit to work on as well, but it's a starting point," Sharpe said.

"That was the plan, [to play] around the 60-minute mark, to try and get some good kays (kilometres) in the legs in that position, because obviously I haven't played it for a while. You can train as much as you want but you've actually got to do a fair bit in the game."

Knights and NSW centre Bradman Best told Fox Sports during the game that Sharpe had embraced the positional switch as a new challenge.

"He's had a real good off-season training there, and he's had his first taste there tonight and it's [been] good," Best said.

"He's just a rare footballer. He knows where to be, knows where to pop up at the right time, he's a smart kid, and he loves being coached. He's very coachable and that helps as well."