Brisbane halfback great Allan Langer has endorsed champion playmaker Darren Lockyer moving into the No.7 jumper he wore 288 times for the Broncos.

Lockyer fed the scrums and shifted into first receiver in Brisbane's morale-boosting 20-16 win over Newcastle on Sunday night in a preview to what some believe could be another positional switch for the one-time fullback.

He was able to have a bigger influence on his forwards and still worked with his outside backs.

Lockyer's kicking game, which kept Newcastle on the back foot all night, included a crucial 40-20 effort.

The performance sparked speculation coach Wayne Bennett could move him to halfback following the 2004 decision to shift him from fullback to five-eighth for the good of the team.

"I think it could work well for them," said Langer when asked his views on Lockyer playing a first receiver role in attack.

"He loves getting the ball in his hands and I can't see any reason why it would be a problem."

With Ian Lacey and Michael Ennis sharing the dummy half role, Shaun Berrigan shifted to five-eighth on Sunday night and was able to float around the ruck and play his usually defensive role.

"It get's him (Lockyer) even more involved with the decisions and I think it helps the team," said Langer, adding he thought the move would work well given time.

"It might go well one week and not the next, it all takes time.

"Darren does what is best for the team and if he needed to go there, I think he'd do it."

Brisbane's halfback role has been a major problem area for Bennett since Langer hung up his boots in 2002.

Last month Bennett declared fullback Karmichael Hunt would be given his chance to play the role ahead of Shane Perry.

Grand final halfback Perry has been unable to make the position his own and against the Knights, because of injuries, Lockyer found himself in the new role.

Meanwhile, Ennis says Brisbane's gritty win on an emotional night in Newcastle came after players accepted "ownership" of Brisbane's disappointing start to their premiership defence.

"I think we all recognised we needed to take a bit of ownership that it was the players who probably weren't working hard enough for each other," said Ennis, who took some big steps to putting his career back on track after last year's serious knee injury.

"We ground out a tough win, in a tough place to win and it showed a lot of character.

"I thought last night was personally one of the biggest team games I've been involved in.

"Every guy was talking on the park, right till the death."

Ennis said Melbourne weren't playing their best football but they were winning.

"They're playing a team style of football which is what you have to do this time of the year and it's why they're winning their games," he said.

"If we take last night's attitude into the game against Melbourne and into the week's ahead I think you'll start to see the Broncos side really build together."

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