Lockyer should skip Tri-Nations - Tallis

Former Broncos captain Gorden Tallis says Darren Lockyer should skip the coming Tri-Nations series to improve the Broncos' chances of claiming the NRL premiership next season.

Tallis said Brisbane would benefit greatly if Lockyer elected to have a "long and completely clean break from football".

The Broncos led the competition for most of the season but injuries and a lack of creativity in the halves following the State of Origin period saw them bundled out in the semifinals by the Wests Tigers.

"I reckon the best thing for the Broncos would be for Darren Lockyer to miss the Tri-Nations tour," Tallis said in his Brisbane Courier Mail newspaper column.

"I'm not really expecting it to happen but from a purely selfish Brisbane point of view, it would be in Locky's best interests to have a long and completely clean break from football in the off-season.

"It's all about pressure and Darren is forced to put up with more pressure than any other player in the game.

"Every time he pulls on a Broncos, Queensland or Australian jersey, he's expected to call all the shots and there's no doubt in my mind the constant grind is starting to tell on the bloke."

Tallis, who retired at the end of last season, believed Lockyer had played too much football over the past three seasons.

"The only other player who comes close to carrying as big a load as Locky is Andrew Johns but he's played only about 30 games in the past three years; Locky's played three times that number," he said.

"I've never been in favour of blokes picking and choosing when they play for Australia's but in Locky's case I reckon the long-term benefits would outweigh the short-term grief over giving up one tour."

Lockyer and Brisbane teammates Justin Hodges, Brent Tate and Petero Civoniceva were named in the Australian train-on squad after the club's inglorious exit from the premiership race last weekend.