It might be stating the obvious but no position in Ivan Cleary’s 17-man line-up is safe, according to Panthers backrower Tyrone Peachey.
The 23-year-old rising star revealed to Extra Time that his heart skipped a beat when he heard the news fellow young gun and backrower Bryce Cartwright had been dropped to reserve grade recently following several disappointing performances.
“If you’re not performing Ivan’s not going to play you, so there’s a lot of pressure with some of the young blokes coming up through the ranks,” he said.
“Seeing Brycey not playing first grade puts pressure on yourself. If you don’t play good, you’re going to get dropped. It can happen to anyone.
“I’m not sure why Ivan [dropped Bryce], probably because we lost three games in a row and something had to change.”
It’s been an interesting start to the season for the one time Shark, who will be up against his former club Cronulla this Sunday afternoon at Pepper Stadium.
During his first real season in the top grade last year, Peachey set the competition alight and was a real game-changer in Penrith’s offence when he came off the bench.
Despite Peachey suffering a season-ending pectoral injury midway through last year, he made a successful comeback during the pre-season and even earned himself an Indigenous All Stars jumper along the way.
However, the first seven games of the season have been admittedly a struggle for Peachey as he continues to regain his strength and confidence.
“I’ve been too inconsistent lately and I just want to play with a bit of consistency and hopefully just keep performing so I can keep my spot in the top 17,” Peachey said.
“I suppose my confidence is getting better the more games that I play and the more work I’m getting on my pec.
“It’s getting better and better (pec) and I feel more confident out there.”
Peachey added that he didn’t mind coming off the bench, to add spark to Penrith’s attack.
In March, before Penrith’s season opener against the Bulldogs, Peachey signed a new two-year deal with the Panthers that will see him remain at the club until the end of 2017.
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