Makeshift prop Ben T'eo says Brisbane can feel the desperation as pressure mounts to stretch the club's NRL finals streak to 19 straight seasons.

While there's no sign of panic within the ranks, T'eo says Brisbane are in the same boat as several NRL teams who are feeling the heat of one of the closest finals battles in decades.

"I think we're already feeling the desperation right now," said utility T'eo who has gone from the centres earlier this year to lining up in the front-row against Newcastle on Friday night.

"The pressure is on us, but there's a lot of teams under the pump as well and everyone's getting desperate now."

T'eo wasn't prepared to claim membership in the front-rowers club just yet.

"It looks a bit weird with the No.10 on my back, I don't know if it suits me but Ivan (coach Ivan Henjak) thinks I can do the job." he said.

T'eo dodge a bullet last week when fellow utility Matt Gillett was moved from the back to five-eighth, saving him from playing up front.

But with teenager Corey Norman a definite starter in injured skipper Darren Lockyer's No.6 jumper against the Knights, T'eo will have to move up from the back-row this weekend.

"I can't really say I'm a real front-rower because I move around a lot," he smiled.

"I drift from left to right, wide to tight, so I can't really class myself a front-rower yet."

T'eo will have to make some adjustments to help cope with the extra workload of defending in the middle corridor.

"I'll probably have to pace myself a bit in the middle in defence. Before I was out wide being a bit aggressive and now I have to take my time and concentrate on working with all the other boys in slowing down the play the ball," he said.

One of the big components of T'eo's game is his ability to come up with huge tackles that often lift his side.

"It takes a bit of gas out of you tackling in the middle and you have to be always concentrating," said T'eo, also a dangerous edge runner.

T'eo is still copping it from teammates after slaughtering a try a few weeks ago against the Gold Coast when he didn't pass to an unmarked Israel Folau.

While he made amends with a great pass for fullback Josh Hoffman to score against Parramatta last Friday night he doubts he'll be allowed forget his blunder easily.

"As many times as I can put players over the line to make up for that I will," he laughed.

"But no matter what happens this year, that's going to end up on my highlight reel at the presentation ball."

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