Reece Walsh was left out of Queensland’s team for State of Origin 1 after Maroons selectors decided he was not ready for the pressure of the opening match. The Broncos fullback was not included in the 20-man squad, and Queensland said the call was about confidence rather than any deeper problem.
Selectors Darren Lockyer and Gene Miles said Walsh had not been at his best since returning from a facial fracture and that they wanted him back to his confident self before bringing him into Origin. On Sunday, Billy Slater said there was no hidden issue behind the omission, and that Walsh would earn another chance in the jersey in time.
The decision came after a week of speculation around why Walsh had been pushed out of the squad altogether. Former players James Graham and Luke Keary suggested there may have been something more behind the snub, but Slater moved to shut that down on Triple M radio, saying he was not surprised by the noise that follows Origin selections and that he had a strong relationship with Walsh.
Slater said he had been connected with Walsh for about five years, ever since the fullback entered the NRL, and said he had spoken to him in the lead-up to Magic Round to ask how he was feeling. According to reports, Walsh admitted he was not playing at 100 per cent and was not fully confident in himself, a detail that fits the line Queensland has now drawn around the omission.
Lockyer said confidence was central to the call. He said Walsh was coming back from a month off, that the Broncos were struggling a bit for form and that Queensland felt Kalyn was the better option because he was playing in a winning team and close to career-best form. He said the Maroons know what Walsh is capable of, but that the next step was how the 22-year-old responded to being left out.
The comments leave Queensland’s selection logic clearer than it first appeared. Walsh was not dropped for good, and he was not cast aside after a single poor night. Instead, the message from the Maroons is that a player who built his reputation on speed and swagger needs those traits back at full strength before he walks into Origin, where confidence can decide as much as form.
That makes the next stretch simple for Walsh and less simple for Queensland. He now has to turn the disappointment into form fast enough to force his way back into a side that has already shown it will pick a player like Kalyn when it believes the timing is right.
