Superstar fullback of the '90s Danny Peacock found dead in Toowoomba motel

Rugby league has been rocked by the death of Danny Peacock, one of the game's star fullbacks of the 1990s.

A brilliant ball runner who played for Wests Magpies, the Gold Coast, South Queensland and Bradford Bulls in Super League, Peacock was only 57.

He was found by staff in a Toowoomba motel where he was staying on Thursday after the break-up of his marriage earlier this year.

Peacock burst onto the scene with the Magpies in 1988, establishing himself as a real danger man with his pace and acceleration.

He switched to the Gold Coast in 1991, playing five seasons there before moving to the now-defunct South Queensland Crushers for a year in 1996.

Peacock then finished his career with three seasons in the UK, where he was a favourite with the fans at Bradford.

Former Wests teammate Allan Fallah said old Magpies have been devastated by the news.

"Danny was a popular guy, quiet, but he had a wicked sense of humour and a killer smile," Fallah told Wide World of Sports.

"We called him 'Bird' at Wests.

"He had a horrific injury against Parramatta, a dislocated hip, and it looked like that would end his career, but he came back from that."