it would be negligent of Daley not to go into the match without a contingency at #9. It's Peats' first origin match, hookers defend in the middle.third, and the intensity will be like nothing he's had to deal with at club level. There may very well be a period towards the end of the first half, or mid-second half where Peats could use a breather. Furthermore, if the worst were to happen and he cops an injury and can't complete the game, NSW will need someone to slot in. In both cases, using a player who has already taken reps at training to develop familiarity with the forwards and halves is a smart move.
Thing with Bird too is it won't necessarily be a wasted interchange because he can stay on the field and fill in on the right-side for Jackson if Peats comes back on. And as right centre is his main position at Cronulla, he will also cover the most injury prone player NSW have got.
It really is no different to what Morgan will be doing with QLD.
The problem with NSW that I see is squad balance. There are only two recognised players on the bench to fill in the middle rotation - JTrob and Klemmer. With Bird already in the squad and tasked with the important duty of covering #9 and other positions, Graham is really a wasted selection......unless Daley sees his value in the middle too. Not sure he's spent much time for Cronulla there. For me Graham starts or doesn't make it. Sure he seems like a better player than others who may get the gig, but he stars as a left-side forward, a position that players generally play 80'.
