HE'S the quick-fix bargain buy who could yet prove worth his weight in gold for the Newcastle Knights.
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After stints with Cronulla, Wests Tigers, Featherstone Rovers and Canterbury, Fa'amanu Brown arrived at the Knights little more than a month ago, having been granted a mid-season release by the Bulldogs.
The 28-year-old made his club debut in last week's 32-6 triumph over Cronulla - a 16-minute cameo off the bench - and has been elevated to the starting line-up for today's last-round clash with St George Illawarra at Kogarah Oval. And with regular bench utility Kurt Mann sidelined because of a sternum injury, the Samoan World Cup hooker could yet play a role in Newcastle's finals campaign, which kicks off next weekend.
"I'm confident that Kurt is going to be right [for next week], but that's why we bought Nu," O'Brien said.
"For reasons like this. If things like this pop up."
Brown has played in 55 games since debuting at Cronulla in 2014, and O'Brien said that experience had helped him settle in quickly since arriving in Newcastle.
"He's played in a World Cup, he's played for his country, and I know it was only 16 minutes, but I thought he contributed really well the other night," O'Brien said.
"He allows our footy team to play the way it wants to play, because he's got a good, solid passing game, he'll run the ball whenever the opportunities strike and he's a good defender."
Brown has signed a short-term deal until the end of this season, but Knights football director Peter Parr has not ruled out an extension.
"We'll just see what happens over the next few weeks," Parr said. "He didn't come here under any illusions that he would have something for next year. But he also knows that if he plays well, we might well have another look at that ... recruitment and retention is always fluid."
Brown, who will replace Phoenix Crossland at hooker against the Dragons, has also played fullback, five-eighth, halfback, lock and second row in his top-grade career, which makes him the ideal bench handyman.
He will share the dummy-half duties on Saturday with 21-year-old debutant Riley Jones, a Central Coast product who played junior football with The Entrance Tigers.
O'Brien described Jones as an "exciting kid" who had earned his chance.
"He's got a lot of pace and has put on a lot of size this year," O'Brien said
"He's a good defender. Very popular amongst the playing group. He's worked really hard all year ... and thoroughly deserves his opportunity."
With Crossland out, along with skipper Kalyn Ponga and primary playmaker Jackson Hastings, Newcastle will field a new-look spine as they chase their ninth consecutive win - which would equal the club record, set in 1995.
And while the result will have little impact on Newcastle's position in the play-offs, given that they are guaranteed to finish either fifth or sixth, O'Brien is eager to maintain momentum.
"We've just spoken about getting our process right and what Knights footy looks like ... we want to keep our footy intact," he said.
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