With a new season comes new-look line-ups and even different roles.

Foxsports.com.au takes a look at some of the players who are set to feature in new positions — or return to old ones — in 2019.

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Round 19

KALYN PONGA (fullback to five-eighth)

One of the most intriguing switches of 2019 will be how Ponga adapts to life in the halves after his first full NRL season at fullback.

But the Newcastle young gun has already shown at Origin level that he can perform no matter the occasion and position he plays in.

Ponga played one game at five-eighth in 2018 where he starred, setting up a try, had a hand in another, while making five tackle busts and one offload.

He also proved he’s not afraid to take on the line, making 12 runs for 79 metres.

“Anytime Kalyn’s got the ball in his hands it’s a good thing for the Newcastle Knights,” club legend Danny Buderus told foxsports.com.au in November.

“At five-eighth you’ve got to organise a bit more, but with the way the Knights play, everyone’s got an understanding of sort of lines they’ve got to run.”

Kalyn Ponga during Newcastle Knights training at their training ground in Mayfield. Picture. Phil Hillyard Source: News Corp Australia

RYAN JAMES (prop to second row)

It appears likely we’ll see more of James in the back row this season.

With the Titans signing Shannon Boyd from Canberra, as well as already having the likes of Jarrod Wallace, Max King and Moeaki Fotuaika on their books, their skipper could be set for a more permanent switch.

Of his 138 NRL games, James has started on an edge on 24 occasions where he’s averaged 76 minutes, 11.8 runs and 89 metres per game.

He started the 2018 season in the back row before moving back to prop after just three games when injuries hit the side.

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JACK WIGHTON (fullback to five-eighth)

If reports are to be believed, it seems Wighton is set for a switch to five-eighth in 2019.

Wighton is said to have been training at six alongside halfback Aidan Sezer this pre-season.

It’s a position not unfamiliar to Wighton, with the 25-year-old having started there in nine games in 2014.

In those matches, he had two tries, three try assists, five linebreak assists and seven tackle busts.

Wighton also hasn’t been shy to put boot to ball, averaging six kicks and 197 metres per game.

GARETH WIDDOP (five-eighth to fullback)

In what is likely to be his final season in the NRL, Widdop is set for a positional swap to fullback to accommodate new signing Corey Norman in the halves.

The Englishman has started at fullback in just six NRL games and a further five at international level, so the custodian role is not unfamiliar to him.

He also played a host of games in the No.1 jumper in through the junior grades, and it was in the 2009 under-20s grand final where he helped the Storm to a title with two tries.

Across his top level games at fullback, Widdop has clearly been more of a playmaker with 33.1 possessions per game.

He’s scored five tries and set up another six, along with six linebreaks, 10 linebreak assists and 34 tackle busts.

Gareth Widdop of the Dragons. Source: Getty Images

BENJI MARSHALL (halves to centres)

According to a recent SMH report, new Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire is considering moving Marshall to the centres in a bid to get Josh Reynolds into the starting side at five-eighth.

Centre isn’t an alien position to Marshall, with the Kiwi veteran having started there on four occasions, while he also featured there a couple of times while with Brisbane.

In his four starts, Marshall averaged 10.8 runs and 107 metres per game.

He also had three try assists, three linebreaks and two linebreak assists.

CONNOR WATSON (five-eighth to fullback)

The result of Ponga moving to five-eighth for the Knights is Watson shifting to fullback.

The versatile Watson has started four games at fullback and will be hoping to make a fist of it as he looks to nail down a regular NRL spot.

His running game is clearly his strongest attribute, having averaged 16.3 runs and 157 metres per game when starting in the custodian role, along with a total of 29 tackle busts.

“It’s been a good change for me because I’ve been able to get away from having to organise and control games to just running and putting myself in situations that I’m a lot better at,” Watson recently said.

MATT MOYLAN (five-eighth to fullback)

With Valentine Holmes gone, Cronulla have a number of players to shift to fullback to fill the void.

Moylan will be that man in 2019, and it’s a role he’s played plenty of throughout his NRL career — 83 times, in fact.

Compared to five-eighth, the 27-year-old averages more tries, try-assists, linebreaks, linebreak-assists, metres and tackle busts at the back, while he is also more reliable in defence.

“Matty is a natural fullback for mine, he likes the unstructured style of footy and last year was a challenge fitting him into halves,” Sharks interim coach John Morris said.

“He was going a bit between fullback and halves, and Valentine was on the wing for a bit, so we never had that continuity in that position until halfway through the year.”

TEVITA PANGAI JNR (second row to lock/prop)

Across his 54-game NRL career, Pangai Jnr has played as both an edge and middle forward.

But under new Brisbane coach Anthony Seibold, he’ll used solely as a middle as a prop or lock.

“Tevita is a middle [forward] in my eyes,” Seibold recently told NRL.com.

“ … There are three middles in my teams and there is no difference in their role description. The eight, 10 and the 13 all have the same job.”

With Josh McGuire signing with North Queensland, the move for Pangai Jnr is a timely one.

It also makes sense with the club already boasting a host of edge forwards like Matt Gillett, Alex Glenn, Jaydn Su’A and David Fifita.

Of the seven games he’s started as a middle forward, Pangai has averaged 46 minutes per game for 11.9 runs and 108 metres.

Tevita Pangai Jnr of the Broncos in action during a training session. Source: AAP

KURT MANN (utility to hooker)

The Newcastle signing’s switch to hooker is one of the biggest unknowns because he’s never started a game at dummy half.

Mann has featured in a number of roles over his 88-game NRL career including fullback, wing, centre, five-eighth, halfback and lock.

But Knights coach Nathan Brown has had him mostly training in the No.9 role since his move back to the club on a three-year deal.

“I have done most of my stuff at hooker but yeah I have bounced around a few other positions as well,” Mann said this week about his move.

“Browny spoke to me a little bit and said at times he probably will need me to play somewhere else at certain stages, so I have been doing a little bit in the outside backs but I am pretty comfortable there because I played most of my footy there.”

Kurt Mann during Newcastle Knights training at their training ground in Mayfield. Picture. Phil Hillyard Source: News Corp Australia

JAHROME HUGHES (halfback to fullback)

With Melbourne legend Billy Slater now retired, Hughes has a terrific chance at nailing down a permanent NRL spot at fullback.

The 24-year-old has played just 17 NRL games since his debut in 2013, 11 of those coming last season.

Of his total games, Hughes has featured at fullback on seven occasions, with the other 10 in the halves.

“Fullback’s his best spot, be we could see him playing in the centres or on the wing if he had to,” coach Craig Bellamy said of Hughes last season.

“We think he’s a good, smart footy player and picks up things really quickly. He’s got a lot of natural ability speed-wise and game-sense wise.”