Legendary Kiwi figure Graham Lowe believes New Zealand Warriors five-eight Chad Townsend should be seriously considered for New South Wales in Origin II at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The former Queensland and Manly coach is pushing for Townsend’s inclusion and a move for Mitchell Pearce from five-eight to half with Trent Hodkinson missing out.

“With Mitchell Pearce as halfback, those two would be better balanced than what NSW had in game 1 with Hodkinson at number 7 and Pearce wearing 6” Lowe wrote in The New Zealand Herald.

“I’ve been very impressed with how Townsend has grown as a player and in my view; he is ready for the next step. He’d also provide that confident unpredictability and spark that was missing for NSW last Wednesday.

“To be fair, even though they won, Queensland was also guilty of telegraphing their intentions at times, but that will not be the case in game 2 in Melbourne.

“But Chad Townsend is strong on his feet and can deliver a perfectly timed pass which is very important in an Origin game.

“My instinct tells me he is a big game player. And now, only two wins behind the competition leaders, the Warriors, sitting on 14 points are in a strong position to make a charge.”