‘Fake news’: Billy Slater bristles at Cobbo claims

Billy Slater has dismissed suggestions there was a rift between the Queensland coaching staff and Selwyn Cobbo as “total fake news”.

Slater was clearly frustrated at having to address a television news report the Maroons and Cobbo were not seeing “eye to eye” on the eve of an Origin decider at Suncorp Stadium.

The Queensland coach has done his best to not react to NSW counterpart Michael Maguire’s “glass houses” claims earlier this series, but Slater clearly had enough when asked about Cobbo.

“I haven’t seen Selwyn more happy, I haven’t seen him more engaged in his football, and he’s had a great week – he’s ready to play,” Slater said on Tuesday.

“Gone are the days you have to report the truth. I don’t know where that has come from. It’s totally fake news. That’s the first I’ve heard of it.

“I was actually having a conversation with some of the coaching staff on Monday about how well his week has gone. He’s ready to play. I honestly don’t know where the news has come from.”

Billy Slater bristled at claims the Queensland coaching staff no longer saw eye to eye with Selwyn Cobbo.Credit: Getty Images

Pressed on his relationship with Cobbo, Slater said: “It couldn’t be stronger. I can’t be more clear about that.

“For me to talk about this is totally irrelevant, 24 hours before a game. Selwyn and I are fine. That’s total fake news.”

Nine, the owner of this masthead, reported on Monday night Cobbo and the Queensland coaching staff were “not seeing eye to eye”.

Maguire had no idea about the Cobbo dramas and said on Tuesday: “I’m not aware of any of that sort of stuff.”

Cobbo was overlooked in game two, with Slater saying at the time the Broncos centre needed a “rest”.

“He just wasn’t quite right to play game two, and he would be the first to admit it; he’s had a good week at training, and he’s physically ready,” Slater said.

Cobbo has struggled with errors the past six weeks, and will have the job of trying to stop in-form Blues winger Zac Lomax.

Meanwhile, NSW’s most successful coach Phil Gould believes Slater may be under pressure to replace Reece Walsh at fullback if he starts the game poorly.

On his Six Tackles with Gus podcast, Gould discussed if Slater, arguably the greatest No.1 of all time, would “have the bottle” to dump the crowd favourite for Kalyn Ponga if the Blues applied early pressure.

Happy place: Maroons winger Selwyn Cobbo.Credit: Getty Images

Walsh was illegally knocked out by Joseph Suaalii in game one, and struggled to have an impact in game two when he returned from concussion.

“If things aren’t going well early, if NSW is putting a lot of pressure on Reece Walsh early in the contest, and Reece Walsh, with his youth and exuberance, is not hitting the mark early in the game, has the coach got the bottle to replace him with Kalyn Ponga, and say, ‘this isn’t working, we’re not going to get there with this combination, and maybe I need to put Kalyn at the back’,” Gould said.

When asked about Gould’s comments, Slater said: “Kalyn has trained in multiple positions, and what a luxury to have Kalyn Ponga sitting on the bench when you can put him on anywhere you want ... he’ll be playing his role as Kalyn Ponga.”

The Blues enjoyed dinner on Caxton St on Monday night, but Maguire could not believe how quiet the city was.

“It was dead – there was a gentleman and his two kids in NSW jerseys walking down the street, they were the only people there,” Maguire said.

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