By Nick Wright
Reece Walsh has been selected for Queensland in game two of the State of Origin series but J’maine Hopgood and Selwyn Cobbo have been ruled out with injury.
Walsh, the 21-year-old fullback, was concussed in the seventh minute of Queensland’s 38-10 game-one win in Sydney after a high shot by Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii.
He has since undergone all required protocols while back with club side Brisbane after his mandatory 11-day stand down, in which he missed NRL clashes with Cronulla and South Sydney.
As long as he passes final tests in camp, Walsh will take the field against NSW at the MCG on June 26.
“I have been talking to Reece over the last week and he has been ticking all the boxes and being really professional away from playing,” Maroons coach Billy Slater told Channel Nine, owner of this masthead, on Sunday.
Just last year, loyal Maroons servants Felise Kaufusi, Kurt Capewell and Dane Gagai were left on the outer, and with that, their State of Origin careers appeared in tatters.
But the veteran trio have proved there is still life in their battle-hardened legs, as they plot dream swansongs in the Queensland colours.
Dolphins forward Kaufusi - the 18th man in game one - comes onto the bench while Warriors back-rower Capewell, who can also play centre, has earned a Maroons recall - also on the bench.
Felise Kaufusi has returned to the Maroons’ starting side.Credit: Getty Images
Kaufusi is stepping in to replace Parramatta Eels lock J’Maine Hopgood who is sidelined with a back injury.
Kaufusi was activated as the 18th man in this year’s opening Origin clash when Walsh failed his concussion assessment. He also provided an insight into his versatility when he started as a prop for the Dolphin’s win over Cronulla on Thursday night. Kaufusi’s place as the squad’s emergency man will be taken by Gagai.
Capewell, meanwhile, has earned a recall after super sub Selwyn Cobbo was not named in the squad.
Kurt Capewell celebrates scoring a try with teammates during Origin game three in 2022.Credit: Getty
Cobbo was outstanding coming off the bench in Game I after Walsh left the field, having a hand in two tries while running for 167 metres and nine tackle busts.
But Maroons coach Billy Slater said it was best for Cobbo to rest, given his present condition.
“Selwyn’s just not quite 100 per cent at the moment. He’s been playing with injections and that sort of stuff, and collectively with a few things we would like to work on in his game, we just thought it was best for Selwyn to have a rest,” Slater said.
“The Broncos have a bye this week, and I’m pretty sure if the Broncos were playing, Selwyn wouldn’t be playing for the Broncos, so I just felt this was the best thing for him personally and the best thing for the team.
“Selwyn’s just turned 22, and sometimes we forget these guys are still young men developing physically. They’re still developing their game and still building that consistency in their game.
“Everyone’s different, it’s not one size fits all, and I just felt this was the right thing for Selwyn to have a break.”
Capewell, a former Broncos vice-captain, made his return from a calf injury for the Warriors two weeks ago, and his ability to cover the backrow and centres – roles he has started in for the Maroons – appear to have worked in his favour.
On the subject of Walsh, Broncos coach Kevin Walters told reporters before his side’s defeat to South Sydney that his marquee fullback would be fit to challenge the Blues once again, and declared he would not be gun shy after copping some brutal treatment already this year.
Slater said there was never a consideration to keep Walsh out of the team as a precaution, despite Tabuai-Fidow’s standout showing filling the void in the series’ opener.
“He’s got clearance, he’s good,” Slater said of Walsh.
“Reece is Queensland fullback right now, Hammer’s Queensland’s centre right now. I saw a fair bit of form in his preparation, and I’m looking forward to helping him go after that preparation again.”
Maroons Game II squad
1. Reece Walsh
2. Xavier Coates
3. Valentine Holmes
4. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
5. Murray Taulagi
6. Tom Dearden
7. Daly Cherry-Evans (c)
8. Reuben Cotter
9. Ben Hunt
10. Lindsay Collins
11. Jaydn Su’A
12. Jeremiah Nanai
13. Pat Carrigan
14. Harry Grant
15. Moeaki Fotuaika
16. Felise Kaufusi
17. Kurt Capewell
18. Dane Gagai
19. Heilum Luki
20. Trent Loiero
with AAP