Comparing him to Queensland icon Greg Inglis, NRL legend Darren Lockyer has backed Selwyn Cobbo to earn a recall for Game 1 of the 2024 State of Origin series.
A vital player in the Maroons backline in the past two Origin series, Cobbo was absent from last year's final two games due to a hip injury and was subsequently replaced.
Coach Billy Slater will have a difficult decision regarding Cobbo after he changed positions in the off-season from the wing to the centres.
Now contending with Valentine Holmes and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Cobbo has re-entered the Origin frame after some sensational performances in the past few weeks, including playing fullback for the Broncos in Magic Round.
Capable of playing anywhere in the backline, Queensland legend Darren Lockyer believes that Cobbo is the second coming of Greg Inglis due to his versatility and believes that he has earned a recall into the representative team.
“There's a few coming back from injury,” Lockyer said on Friday evening via News Corp.
“Having the versatility of Hammer playing centre, fullback or wing and Selwyn can do that.
“Selwyn just plays a different style, he uses his strength.
“He is exactly like Greg Inglis. You can put him centre, put him on the wing and put him at fullback and he will do the job.”
Selwyn Cobbo has also earned the backing of Broncos coach Kevin Walters, who would like to see him play in Game 1 of Origin alongside teammates Payne Haas, Patrick Carrigan, and Reece Walsh.
“I would love to see as many of our players as possible picked for the respective teams, particularly Queensland, because we are predominantly a Queensland team,” Broncos coach Kevin Walters said.
“We want our players like Selwyn to play rep football, it's great for them and their careers and also what they bring back from Origin is invaluable as well.
“Selwyn only found out after training (on Thursday) that he was playing fullback. It's a totally different role to centre, but he did some really good stuff at the back.
“He doesn't care what the score is, Selwyn just plays his football. He was really good for us, particularly with his carries and some of the high balls he caught.
“Some of them were at a critical time and he pulled them off, so well done to him.”
Although he had a fantastic start to the season with the Cowboys, Valentine Holmes has struggled as of late, with the club only being able to win one game from their past six matches.
Earlier in the week, former NRL player Joel Caine and athlete James Magnussen discussed if Holmes should make way for Cobbo, who would join Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow from The Dolphins in the centres.
“Val Holmes is grossly out of form,” Magnussen told The Run Home with Joel & Fletch.
“When all is said and done, Queensland are the pick and stick team. Could you pick Val Holmes right now? He honestly cost them the game last week by not putting a ball over the line.
“I'm sure Billy's (Slater) spoken to him but there's a few players in that Cowboys line-up - Nanai, Cotter, Taulagi… and Holmes - none of them have done their chances much good for State of Origin.
“I wouldn't (pick him).”
