Hot, cold and moments of rage: Walsh provides turbulent Origin audition amid Broncos implosion

If there was ever an outing that highlighted the rocks or diamonds approach that Reece Walsh brings to the field, his final audition for a State of Origin comeback was exactly that.

There were moments of brilliance, horror and anger from the Broncos fullback, as his side’s first-half implosion created a Magic Round calamity in a 42-12 defeat to the Warriors at Suncorp Stadium.

There were ominous signs early, with Walsh’s first two touches – each strong carries straight at the Warriors’ defence – before his side’s own ill-discipline deprived him of moments to strike in the opening half.

When he did get a chance, his risk versus reward approach was on show – a rushed pass coming out of trouble gifting a try to the Warriors’ Ali Leiataua, before his dangerous cutout ball for a leaping Phillip Coates orchestrated the opportunity for Adam Reynolds to cross for his second of the afternoon.

Walsh then appeared certain to score off a Ben Hunt grubber, only to lose his footing, enabling the Warriors to scramble to save the play. He then almost conquered a miracle try – unleashing Coates down the wing again, before his cross-field kick was fumbled by Josiah Karapani trying to get the ball to ground.

Much to his anger, he was then forced off for an HIA, and was seen blowing up with the trainer as he made his way from the field, only to be cleared of any issues. In the dying stages after his return, he was penalised for dissent after an agitated exchange with referee Ashley Klein. This performance was as Walsh as they came.

There have been suggestions Newcastle fullback Kalyn Ponga could be ushered into the Maroons’ fold at halfback to replace the injured Tom Dearden, and he was seen regularly jumping into first receiver in the Knights’ 36-12 win against the Titans – finishing with 201 running metres and setting up winger Dom Young for his hat-trick.

Such a ploy was endorsed by former Queensland assistant coach Josh Hannay, who said, “it’s what I’d do, I reckon it’s a great idea … I’ve got a feeling the opposition wouldn’t like to see him in that position”.

That would lock Walsh – the incumbent Kangaroos fullback – in a two-horse race with Dolphins rival Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow for Queensland’s No.1 jumper.

“The Hammer” starred in the No.1 jumper last year, when Queensland triumphed in game three, and while his versatility would enable him to do a job in the centres or on the wing, his nose is now in front to retain his spot.

He ran for 171 metres and scored a brilliant solo try against South Sydney on Friday night in his last Origin statement before Billy Slater announces his team on Monday morning.

“We all know what Reece is capable of. We haven’t been giving ourselves the best opportunities to perform … if you put Reecey into a space we know he’s capable of playing, it’s pretty scary,” Broncos coach Michael Maguire said.

“If I was picking the team, I’d pick Reece.”

Boyd’s breakout to heartache amid Broncos implosion

Tanah Boyd’s breakout campaign could be over after the Warriors halfback suffered a suspected ACL rupture.

This was supposed to be the continuation of the Boyd fairytale after he rose from Brisbane and Gold Coast discard to become the face of New Zealand’s rise to the NRL’s top two.

There had even been suggestions he was on the State of Origin radar to assume the No.7 jumper in Dearden’s absence. What was most concerning was the fact the incident came without contact.

“It’s a potential ACL – it’s not confirmed yet, so we’re not writing him off yet, but early indications say it could be,” Warriors coach Andrew Webster said. He also confirmed Luke Metcalf would be available for selection in round 13 on return from personal leave to secure his future with the Dragons.

Despite the early loss of their chief general, the Warriors rallied without him – scoring shortly after he left the field as Dallin Watene-Zelezniak touched down in classy fashion in the corner.

Once Erin Clark charged over from close range, Brisbane’s wheels fell off.

This was as ill-disciplined as the Broncos had been in the Michael Maguire era, conceding 10 first-half penalties for a range of infringements – high contact, hip drops, illegal strips, escorts and contacting the kicker’s legs all among them.

That build-up eventually resulted in Pat Carrigan being sent to the sin bin after he held down in the tackle for too long, with tries to Wayde Egan and Kurt Capewell soon following before the break.

“He [the referee] warned me and told me to give the team a warning, which I did, and I thought the warning was for repeated offences, but it wasn’t for holding down or slowing the ruck in the 10-metre zone, and that’s ultimately what Patty got sin binned for,” Reynolds said.

“I tried to get some clarity, but it’s as far as it went.”

While Reynolds orchestrated a try of his own – his first of two – by targeting the wing of the sin binned Alofiana Khan-Pereira (high shot), the Broncos were never able to get close to a comeback. A Watene-Zelezniak intercept proved the final nail in the coffin and left the defending champions reeling off three-straight defeats.

“I’ll definitely have to have a look at it,” Maguire said, when asked for his view on the lopsided penalty count.

“When you look at rucks and the opposition, you’re looking for the consistency around what was going on. There were some there that just makes the game hard to play. I want to make sure it goes both ways.”

Blues call-ups beckon

The New South Wales hooker battle had appeared to be a race between Reece Robson and Blayke Brailey, only for reports to emerge that Egan had been asked to pack heavy for his trip to Magic Round.

Despite his history of concussion issues, Egan left the Broncos’ ruck in tatters at times – scoring an early try before splitting the defence open to put Te Maire Martin over in the second half.

There is every chance he will be joined in the NSW camp by Jackson Ford, who finished with 111 running metres and 32 tackles for no misses.

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