Crash Craddock: Reece Walsh is the closest thing to Billy Slater … since Billy Slater

A major call looms, stadium officials are on edge and was that the Dolphins’ new signing in the crowd? ROBERT CRADDOCK has the latest NRL mail from the Sunshine State, including his team of the week.

Pong v Walsh in the great debate

It’s set to be one of the biggest talking points of the winter – Reece Walsh versus Kalyn Ponga for the Maroons State of Origin fullback spot.

Early whispers tell us that Broncos star Walsh is favourite to retain the jersey he held for the first two games which Queensland won last year before a spray at a referee saw him miss the third game.

But this is a desperately tight call with many untied threads.

Ponga missed selection in the first game last season due to concerns over his form and general wellbeing following a series of concussion problems.

But he has since won the Dally M medal and may be a better defender than Walsh.

Reece Walsh has a fight on his hands for Queensland’s No.1 jersey.

But Walsh, freakishly quick and a natural conjurer who does extensive research on his opposition, is the closest thing rugby league has had to Billy Slater since Billy Slater – and Slater just happens to be Origin coach.

But Slater also loves players who do the little things well. You can bet it was a tick for Ponga that when Chad Townsend was kicking the winning field goal against the Cowboys on Saturday night Ponga was diving horizontally at full stretch try to block the kick.

It didn’t change the result but on such efforts do Origin games often hinge.

WHO’S THAT GUY

Are negotiations between Tevita Pangai and the Dolphins hotting up?

A fan photo of Pangai attending the Dolphins home game against the Dragons was sent to this masthead yesterday.

Pangai also attended the Broncos match against South Sydney but the date with the Dolphins may have extra significance.

It came a day after Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett said his club had “millions of dollars’’ of spare cap room and noted that Panga appeared to have changed his phone number (which he had).

Watch this space. Bennett was the one coach who seemed to deeply connect with Pangai and get the best out of him.

Tevita Pangai Junior arrives to the Dolphins NRL game at Redcliffe.

SUNCORP SPRUCE UP

Rugby league officials are both nervous and excited as they wait for news of whether Suncorp Stadium will get an Olympic facelift which would see it become one of Australia’s finest stadiums.

Former Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk will hand down his venue review for the 2032 Olympics on Monday and Suncorp is pushing hard for a 15,000 capacity increase which would see it host the opening and closing ceremonies.

“If we got the revamp Brisbane would be a chance of hosting more grand finals and it would be most timely since it is more than 20 years since the stadium had its last rebuild,’’ QRL chairman Bruce Hatcher said.

THE BEST

Great tries live forever … and so do great photographs.

Getty Images’ Daniel Pockett enhanced the instant legend status of Xavier Coates “best try ever’’ by somehow being right behind it in the corner to snap Coates sailing like a superman en route to his spectacular touchdown. Given the context of the try this was surely the snap of the decade.

Xavier Coates’ incredible try. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

TEAM OF THE WEEK

1 Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (Dolphins)

2 Deine Mariner (Broncos)

3 Herbie Farnworth (Dolphins)

4 Selwyn Cobbo (Broncos)

5 Kyle Feldt (Cowboys)

6 Tom Dearden (Cowboys)

7 Chad Townsend (Cowboys)

8 Tom Flegler (Dolphins)

9 Jeremy Marshall-King (Dolphins)

10 Payne Haas (Broncos)

11 Brendan Piakura (Broncos)

12 Jeremiah Nanai (Cowboys)

13 Pat Carrigan (Broncos)

■ Round 1 team of the week

Originally published as Crash Craddock: Reece Walsh is the closest thing to Billy Slater … since Billy Slater