ABC News

By Paul Robinson

Updated 5 hours 56 minutes ago

Blackwater's David Taylor to play in his first State of Origin Game (Getty Images: Mark Kolbe)

Central Queenslanders are celebrating the selection of a former local player to the State of Origin team.

Blackwater product Dave Taylor will start off the bench for the Maroons in next week's series opener in Sydney.

Other central Queenslanders to play State of Origin in recent years include Rhys Wesser, P.J. Marsh and Steve Bell.

Taylor -nick named "Coal Train" for his size and mining region birth place - played for the Central Comets and Brisbane Broncos before moving to the Rabbitohs this season.

He says his main priority has been playing for his new club.

"Yeah mate, I put Origin in the back of my mind this year and I wanted to play football for Souths," he said.

"That's what I did and it's great to be here.

"Growing up as a young fella watching Queensland you see the spirit that the Queenslanders hold and growing up I hold the same spirit mate.

"I'll show that when I'm out there on Wednesday."

His Blackwater based father Logan Taylor says he wasn't getting his hopes up before the announcement.

"Oh you know 50-50 beacuse I thought he might get there but then I thought his game mightn't suit origin sort of thing, it's the way he plays and that," he said.

"I think he was trying not think too much of it because last year his name was put around and he got a bit hyped up and disappointed but he sort of tried to keep it steady this year."

Mr Taylor says his son's move to South Sydney this season was a surprise.

"I think it was probably harder on him but his mother's a real Broncos supporter and she didn't really want to see him leave the Broncos and we thought he'd stay there forever sort of thing," he said.

"But Souths seems to be better for him, his defence has picked up a lot this year, he seems to be doing a lot more tacking and a lot of saving tackles and stuff like that."