Jaelen Feeney could start the season as Newcastle fullback

HE’S yet to make his first grade debut and hasn’t played fullback in years but this Knights youngster could find himself in a starring role for Newcastle come Round 1.

Barry Toohey

2 min read

February 16, 2016 - 7:47AM

Newcastle Knight's rookie Jaelen Feeney is in line to make his debut in round one. Picture by Peter Lorimer.

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HE is yet to play in the NRL and has never played senior footy at fullback.

But from the moment Nathan Brown first laid eyes on halfback Jaelen Feeney late last season, the Knights coach had a gut feeling he had found the player to wear the No. 1 jumper at the club.

Now Brown is preparing to gamble on those instincts and pitch the 21-year-old rookie into Newcastle’s premiership opener against the Gold Coast even though he will have next to no experience in the role.

Newcastle Knight's rookie Jaelen Feeney is in line to make his debut.

“I’ve never really played there at all to be honest,” Feeney told The Daily Telegraph.

“Maybe back when I was 15 or 16, I’d get thrown in at fullback in junior games a bit to fill in but nothing too serious.

“I’ve always been in the halves. But Bedsy (Danny Buderus) said last season he thought I would make a good fullback because I love running the ball and Browny at the start of pre-season told me that’s where he wanted to give me a shot because he was after a ballplayer at the back.”

Provided he comes through Saturday night’s trial against Canberra in Orange unscathed, Feeney’s inclusion will force the more experienced Jake Mamo onto the wing for the Titans clash.

But the former Queensland Under 20s halfback says he will have to do everything right against the Raiders to repay Brown’s faith and keep Mamo off his tail.

“Jake’s a freak of a player — everyone knows what he can do and I probably haven’t been put under pressure too much in a game sense yet,” he said.

Jaelen Feeney in action for Newcastle in the NSW Cup grand final.

“But having Potts (assistant coach and former NSW fullback Mick Potter) helping me has been great and I’ve been practising a lot and getting under the high ball has been a focus.

“Probably the hardest thing I’ve had to learn is just seeing the game from a different perspective at the back and not as a first receiver and making sure of numbers in defence and knowing where to be a certain times.

“The Raiders will be my first proper hitout at fullback and they’ve got good halves who are going to be pressuring me so I’ve got to be on and show Browny how much I want to start in round one.”

Ironically, Feeney, who starred in the Knights NSW Cup premiership win last season, seriously considered leaving the club after Manly showed interest because he feared his NRL shot may not come in Newcastle.

“Yeah, there was definitely some talk. I spoke to Trent Barrett and at the time, Browny hadn’t come on board here,” he said.

“Trent just said he liked the style of footy I play and it was appealing at the time to possibly go there. “They said they wanted to give me a shot. But I never really wanted to leave here and once Browny let me know where I stood with him, it made the decision to stay worth it.”