Former Penrith Panthers five-eigth Jamie Soward believes the mountain men have the talent but must be consistent to have any chance of winning their first premiership since 2003.

The Panthers boast one of the most exciting halves combinations in the game in Nathan Cleary and new recruit James Maloney but Soward says they must give livewire utility Tyrone Peachey more ball.

“They’ve got so much talent, they’re deep as well. Kikau after his World Cup deserves a starting spot in the back row. He has to start. I’ve got him starting instead of Harawira-Naera. Bryce Cartwright is on the bench, they’re so deep the bench will always be in conjecture,” Soward told NRL.com.

“They need to get Tyrone Peachey more involved and touching the ball more. He’s coming off the bench more often than not and being a utility is a fantastic talent but he needs to be able to touch the ball. The biggest thing for Penrith is they have the talent to get them up there but can they do it consistently for the year.

“They got it right towards the end of last season but they can’t be starting 2-7 again.”