Superstar fullback of the '90s 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."