“I’m so happy for him,” Peachey says of his former colleague.
Penrith Panthers utility Tyrone Peachey has praised an old teammate who’s making a name for himself across the ditch as the start of the new season draws near.
After having a career-best season, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak was chosen for the Dally M Team of the Year ahead of Dominic Young and Brian To’o. He also assisted in leading the New Zealand Warriors to a preliminary-final position.
The ex-Panthers skipper began his career in the club’s junior system and would go on to spend six seasons at the foot of the mountains in first grade.
However, he struggled to return to the team after injuries, and in the middle of the season, he was released to the Canterbury Bulldogs, causing his career to take a dramatic turn around.
He moved to the New Zealand Warriors in the middle of the 2021 season after struggling to win, and he has thrived there ever since, scoring 37 tries in 47 games, including 153 run metres per game on average and 80 tackle busts in the previous season.
Tyrone Peachey, Watene-Zelezniak’s former teammate, compared his career to his own and said he is overjoyed with how much his career has flourished since leaving Penrith.
Peachey went from a winning team to a losing team and back again, leaving the Panthers for a brief stint with the Wests Tigers before returning home.
Peachey said to Zero Tackle, “He’s kind of done the exact same as what I did.”
“(He) left the Panthers when we were successful, went to a struggling team at the Doggies, and then moved over to the Warriors, so it was really cool to see him…playing good football and winning.”
He’s a family man with a few kids, and I always run into his brother at Penrith, so I’m really happy for him.
“(His brother is) a legend, always says hello, and I’m just really happy he’s playing some good footy again.”
By agreeing to a two-season contract extension with the New Zealand Warriors, the 28-year-old recently cemented his future. He is getting closer to concluding his career with the team based in Auckland.
Warriors coach Andrew Webster has previously stated, “What Dallin showed to everyone is how much it meant for him and his family being back in New Zealand.”
He distinguished himself as one of the competition’s best wingers, if not the best.
“His carries for incredible yardage were the cherry on top, and his numerous touchdowns were the cherry on top.”
Furthermore, his defense improved significantly due to his dependability and ability to discern where he needs to be on the team in order to make the best choice.
