State of Origin selection is often known to throw up a ‘bolter’ and Greg Bird thinks Panthers utility Tyrone Peachey could be exactly that.
Speaking on NITV’s League Nation Live, Bird said Peachey is the type of player New South Wales have lacked in previous years.
“I reckon there’s an opportunity for him.
“You need to have a utility player on the bench. I know Queensland have theirs, Daly Cherry-Evans has done it the last couple of years.
Tyrone Peachey during the round 20 NRL match between the Penrith Panthers and the Canberra Raiders at Pepper Stadium on July 26, 2015. Source: Getty Images
“We haven’t really had a player like that," said Bird.
Peachey has made a strong start to 2016 and he threw himself into New South Wales State of Origin calculations with a strong performance in the recent City-Country clash.
Bird says the youngsters ability to cover multiple positions makes him a real X-Factor for the Blues, but he does face competition.
“Peachey could fill so many roles. He can play in the forwards, he can play in the backs, he can play in the halves or hooker.
“But then there’s other players down in New South Wales like Jack Bird and Bryce Cartwright, guys that are really looking good at club level.
“There’s a few forcing themselves into rep games”.
Bryce Cartwright and Tyrone Peachey of City share a laugh during the NSW Origin match between City and Country at Scully Park.(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images
