He is arguably New South Wales’ greatest ever five-eight and his record backs it up but Brett Kenny is adamant recalled half Mitchell Pearce isn’t up to State of Origin standard.

“Some players just don’t make the jump in standard and I’ve been of the belief that Mitchell Pearce is not up to Origin football,” Kenny told The Courier-Mail.

“I won’t argue that he doesn’t deserve his spot this time. His form for the Roosters is very good, but now it’s time to prove everyone wrong, myself included, and show he can handle State of Origin.

“As it stands, he hasn’t delivered in the Origin arena.

“I have watched him over the series and just thought, ‘I don’t know if this guy can handle Origin’.

“You see it quite often, guys who are a cut above at NRL level but for some reason can’t seem to go the next step.

“As a NSW person, I hope Mitchell does prove me wrong, because if he fires, he can help NSW win the series.”

Pearce was the whipping boy for the public throughout Queensland’s 8-0 series dominance but could even Kenny have stopped the avalanche?