EXCLUSIVE: Phil Gould claims Laurie Daley 'rocked' by Tom Trbojevic's fitness in round 10 performance amid Origin push

Phil Gould believes Tom Trbojevic's performance in round 10 "rocked" NSW Blues coach Laurie Daley as speculation mounts as to whether he'll be picked for Origin I.

Dylan Edwards is likely to be the fullback for the Blues, with Trbojevic fighting for either a spot in the centres or on a wing.

Stephen Crichton and Latrell Mitchell are the favourites for the centres, leaving Trbojevic battling Brian To'o, Jacob Kiraz and Zac Lomax.

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Trbojevic missed three games with a knee injury earlier in the season after suffering the issue against the Eels in round four.

He came back in round eight against the Panthers but experts have noted he hasn't been at full fitness.

While still running for 206 metres in his side's recent loss against the Sharks, many believe he was below his usual standard.

Gould says that performance is likely to rule him out of Origin.

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"I think the performance on the weekend rocked the coach (Daley) a little bit," he said on Wide World of Sports' Six Tackles with Gus.

"I think the coach had him pencilled in to play on the wing, which I disagree with; I don't think Tom should be playing on the wing.

"People say he's a great player, he can play anywhere. Yeah, but wing's a big position, particularly at that level if you're not doing it week in, week out.

"I'd rather go with a specialist ... They've certainly got specialist options available.

"... I think Tom's physical appearance on the weekend rocked the coach. I think Tom would have to do something extraordinary this week to give the coach confidence to go down that line. I've got no doubt Laurie Daley had him pencilled in as one of the wingers."

Trbojevic, Ryan Papenhuyzen and James Tedesco have also been talked about as fullback contenders.

Gould added it was simply a hard-luck story due to the latter twos' ability to only play one position.

The former Blues coach believes Lomax will "probably get the nod" alongside To'o if he proves his fitness.

Manly plays the Cowboys in Townsville on Saturday evening.