Queensland State of Origin game two team news: Kalyn Ponga ruled out, Reece Walsh likely to debut
Reece Walsh has surged into State of Origin contention after a huge injury blow which sent the Maroons back to the drawing board.
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Warriors whiz-kid Reece Walsh has rocketed into the frame for a stunning Origin debut after the Maroons were rocked by the scratching of fullback star Kalyn Ponga for Origin II.
News Corp can reveal Walsh is officially auditioning for a Maroons jumper with Queensland coach Paul Green to watch the 18-year-old closely in the Warriors’ clash against the Knights in Newcastle on Saturday.
The Knights were hopeful of having Ponga on deck for a fullback duel with Walsh, but Newcastle doctors advised Maroons medicos on Thursday that they could not risk his groin injury in the round 15 clash at McDonald Jones Stadium.
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The loss of Ponga is a major blow to Queensland’s hopes of saving the series in Game Two at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday week, but the fall of one superstar could herald the rise of another young gun in Walsh.
The former Broncos flyer will play just his seventh NRL game on Saturday and Walsh, if selected, would be the youngest Maroon in 26 years since Ben Ikin, who debuted for Queensland in 1995 after just four matches during the Super League war.
Green is excited by Walsh’s game-breaking ability and confirmed he is in the selection mix, either at fullback or as a No. 14 utility, especially if AJ Brimson (knee) fails to play for the Titans against Manly this Sunday.
If Walsh has a blinder against the Knights, he will almost certainly seal his Origin debut.
“Reece Walsh is one of our options (to replace Ponga),” Green said.
“I want to see how he plays this weekend – I’ll be watching him closely.
“There is no doubting his talent, he is an exciting prospect.”
Warriors coach Nathan Brown has urged Queensland not to pitchfork Walsh into the Origin arena at such an embryonic stage of his career, but Maroons hierarchy believe he has the mental toughness to flourish.
“There’s been guys in the past who have handled it at a young age,” Green said.
“As Wally Lewis (NRL Immortal and Queensland legend) said, ‘If you are good enough, you are old enough’.
“I haven’t had anything to do with Reece, but by all reports he is a confident kid.”
Walsh told News Corp on Sunday: “I wouldn’t let Queensland down … I would have a crack.”
Green dismissed suggestions Ponga’s latest withdrawal represents an insurmountable hurdle for the Maroons, with the coach backing Valentine Holmes, who stepped into the fullback spot in Queensland’s 50-6 loss in Origin I.
“I was hopeful Kalyn would play,” he said.
“Him being named at fullback would have helped us, but we’ll get over this and I’m confident in the group of guys we have in the squad.
“Kalyn was never a guarantee to play in Origin II. I guess everything had to go right to the tee for him to play.
“For us, it would have been good for him to play a game for the Knights and we needed everything to go according to plan to have him in the side.
“We don’t have great depth of talent so it would have been nice for him to be there, but I was pretty happy with what Valentine did in Game One.
“AJ Brimson is another option, although he has been named in the extended 21 for the Titans, so that’s not a great sign.
“But we had bigger issues than Kalyn Ponga in that loss … their (NSW’s) back five were too good and our midfield has to be better for Game Two.”
FIFITA LEARNS ORIGIN FATE AFTER DRUNKEN NIGHT
Travis Meyn
Queensland Origin star David Fifita has been hit with a $20,000 fine and ordered to undergo counselling following a drunken incident which prompted claims of a Gold Coast Titans cover-up.
Fifita, 21, was detained by police following allegations of trespassing at a Gold Coast property on December 27.
He was later released with a formal caution and looked set to escape sanction by the NRL, until a News Corp investigation in February revealed the Titans had brokered a $10,000 payment to the family involved in the incident.
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The NRL launched a probe into the Fifita incident following revelations of a secret payment and has now concluded a protracted investigation, clearing Fifita to play for Queensland in State of Origin at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday week.
The Titans, who declined to comment on their actions, have been issued a formal caution by the NRL after not disclosing details of the payment orchestrated by the club.
The NRL fined Fifita $20,000, with $10,000 suspended for 12 months, and ordered him to undergo counselling, education and training programs for breaching the game’s alcohol code of conduct and bringing the game into disrepute.
Fifita will also have to personally pay for the $10,000 security system installed at the property, leaving him up to $30,000 out-of-pocket if he transgresses again in the next year.
“The Breach Notice, which Fifita has accepted, states he breached the NRL Rules when he entered the premises of a home, which he did not reside in, on December 27, 2020,” the NRL said.
“Although it was accepted that Mr Fifita believed he had been invited to the home, his conduct in immediately entering on his own showed poor judgment and fell significantly short of his obligations as an NRL Player. No criminal action was taken against Fifita.
“The Gold Coast Titans have been cautioned for not promptly disclosing the club’s payment for a security system which was installed in the home after the incident.
“Fifita is paying for the cost of the system personally, in addition to his fine. There are no salary cap implications relating to this matter.”
The NRL’s investigation was drawn out due to the bizarre nature of the incident and lack of video evidence, with the Integrity Unit relying on witness accounts to piece together what happened.
Fifita was interviewed by NRL investigators as part of the process and claimed he had been invited to the address. An intoxicated Fifita left his phone in an Uber when he arrived at the property and decided to let himself into the house.
He is then alleged to have entered a room where a woman was in bed, only to be confronted by her partner wielding a baseball bat.
Both occupants were unknown to Fifita, who was looking for another resident at the property.
Fifita was chased out of the property before police were called and arrested him on the street, taking him to Broadbeach Station for questioning.
The incident was originally put down to being a misunderstanding and Fifita was not charged by police.
However the Titans’ decision to broker a compensation agreement with the family involved raised eyebrows at NRL headquarters once it was made public by News Corp.
The agreement was for the installation of a security gate and cameras at the property and the Titans did not notify the NRL of the arrangement.
The saga is not the first time a payment has been made after Fifita has found himself in hot water.
In 2019, when contracted to the Brisbane Broncos, Fifita paid $30,000 to secure his release from a Bali jail following an alleged incident with a nightclub security guard.
Fifita’s camp has consistently claimed he was the victim of an extortion plot due to his profile as an NRL star and the “peace agreement” was the only way for him to exit the Indonesian island.
The bulldozing forward’s off-field behaviour has now cost him at least $50,000 in fines and payments over the past 18 months.
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