Maroons coach Kevin Walters says Greg Inglis isn’t up to Origin level

Queensland coach Kevin Walters has revealed Greg Inglis will not be picked for the Maroons on current form and has challenged the skipper to lift to save his State of Origin career.

Queensland coach Kevin Walters has revealed Greg Inglis will not be picked for the Maroons on current form and has challenged the skipper to lift to save his State of Origin career.

In a bombshell development as Inglis weighs up his future in rugby league, Walters says he is prepared to make the toughest call of his coaching career by overlooking his captain for the Origin series opener.

The axing of Inglis would leave Queensland in tatters as they look to reclaim Origin supremacy from NSW.

Greg Inglis’ Origin career is hanging by a thread. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

Inglis has had a horror start to the 2019 premiership battling injury and fitness issues at South Sydney – prompting Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett to order the Queensland ace take a week-long sabbatical.

Inglis, who will miss tomorrow’s clash against the Warriors on the Sunshine Coast, will meet with Bennett on Monday as the super coach explores ways to get the 32-year-old firing again for the sake of Souths and Queensland.

The notion of Queensland axing Inglis, a 32-game Origin champion, was once considered unfathomable.

Kevin Walters says he wouldn’t pick Greg Inglis based on his current situation. Picture: Peter Wallis

Walters is desperately hoping to have Inglis on deck for Origin I on June 5, but says the Maroons skipper cannot be a selection untouchable.

“I can’t pick Greg right now,” Walters told The Courier-Mail.

“To be honest, if Origin I was next week, we wouldn’t pick Greg. His body just isn’t right.

“No one is a bigger fan of Greg Inglis than myself but I can’t have different rules.

“Greg can’t miss eight or nine weeks of football and then be picked for Origin. That’s not going to work for us.

“We have been down that path before where we have picked guys injured or taken a chance and it hasn’t worked.

“We left Billy Slater (former fullback) out of our team in 2017 even when he was back playing because we still had some concerns about how he was playing returning from a serious shoulder injury.

Walters left Billy Slater out of his 2017 team. Picture: Peter Wallis

“Like Billy, Greg has been one of the best players we’ve had since Origin started ... but the lesson I’ve learned is that guys have to be fit and healthy.”

The Queensland team for Origin I will be named on May 27.

That gives Inglis six games, if he returns next Friday night against the Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium, to prove to Queensland hierarchy his arthritic shoulder can withstand the rigours of the code’s toughest arena.

Inglis’ possible absence for Origin I would be a crushing blow for the Maroons. Centre is Queensland’s weakest position in terms of depth, although Dane Gagai could shift from wing to centre to fill any void left by his Rabbitohs teammate Inglis.

Greg Inglis could announce his retirement on Monday. Picture: Phil Hillyard

There is speculation Inglis could stun the code by announcing his immediate retirement on Monday, but Walters is hopeful the Maroons giant soldiers on.

“I don’t know if he will retire,” Walters said.

“I spoke to Greg last week and he didn’t say anything to me, but given what’s happened in recent days, who knows what he will do. There are a lot of conflicting reports.

“He didn’t mention anything about retirement at all to me. He said his body isn’t quite right and Wayne is giving him time out to sort himself out with injuries.

“It would be a massive loss if Greg wasn’t there for Queensland. He was our best player in games one and two last year and he was an outstanding leader, the Queensland captaincy really brought out the best in him.

“It’s frustrating for Greg, he has been such a great player and if he’s injured he can’t do the things he wants to do.

“The reality is we don’t have great depth in the centres.

“I really hope Greg can get back to some good form, I’d love to see him back in the Queensland jumper again, but at the moment there is something not quite right with him.”