Maroons firebrand Jarrod Wallace warns cocky Blues of MCG ambush

JARROD Wallace has hit back at the mouthy Blues ahead of State of Origin I, warning the cocky New South Wales side they could end up with egg all over their face.

Hunt ready to roll Jarrod Wallace and the Queensland Origin team train at Sanctuary Cove ahead of game 1 in Melbourne. Pics Adam Head

MAROONS prop Jarrod Wallace has hit back at the big-mouth Blues and warned NSW risk having egg on their faces again if they write off a Queensland team without retired skipper Cameron Smith.

The front-row fireworks have begun off the field with Wallace and NSW enforcer Reagan Campbell-Gillard trading verbal barbs in a spicy build-up to Origin I this Wednesday night.

Campbell-Gillard fired the first salvo of the series within hours of arriving into NSW camp when the Blues debutant declared he couldn’t wait to “start killing some people” at the MCG.

As rival front-rowers, Wallace will be one of Campbell-Gillard’s primary targets, but the Quensland bookend says if NSW get too cocky following an exodus of big-name Maroons, they face more Origin embarrassment.

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“New South Wales always do this,” Wallace fired.

“They always come out in Game One and say it will be a 3-0 whitewash, there is always someone sledging us, but at the end of the day, Queensland always have the last laugh.”

Asked if the Blues think the Maroons are vulnerable without Smith, Johnathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk, Wallace said: “Yeah they probably do.

“They did that last year when they thought we couldn’t win without ‘JT’ (Thurston), they said we don’t have JT and look what happened (Queensland won the series 2-1).

“I hope they are sitting back thinking it will be an easy win without Cam Smith and our older players.

Wallace will head up a new Queensland forward pack.

“But I can tell you right now we are up for the challenge. The new boys coming in are ready to rip in and ready to go.

“There won’t be too much talking from us on the field, it will get found out if that’s all it is, so we will see how it goes.”

The Maroons will field one of the most inexperienced engine-rooms in their history with Wallace, fellow prop Dylan Napa and new hooker Andrew McCullough having played just five Origin games collectively.

The 200cm David Klemmer and 115kg Campbell-Gillard will spearhead NSW’s impressive pack, but Wallace scoffed at suggestions the Maroons are weak upfront without 22-game enforcer Matt Scott.

“It is a huge challenge for us,” he said.

Wallace will play his third Origin match.

“He (Campbell-Gillard) deserves to get that NSW jersey and he will do a good job, but hopefully me and (Dylan) Napa do a better job.

“We had a big job last year, we played against Klemmer and (Aaron) Woods and they were the NRL’s two best props at that stage.

“They had played for NSW for years so nothing changes for us (Wallace and Napa) just because NSW have new guys in their pack.

“With a new dynasty of players in both teams, I won’t say it will be a bloodbath, but there will be a lot of energy and big boys going hard at each other.

“There will be a lot of aggression and emotion and new guys trying to make a real stamp and trying to get there for Game Two.

“The first ten minutes of Origin is always hectic and fast and I wouldn’t expect anything different this time.”

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