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3 months ago
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Queensland has selected Reece Walsh for Game II of the State of Origin series however Selwyn Cobbo will not be included in Billy Slater's squad with veteran Kurt Capewell taking his place.
J'maine Hopgood, who debuted in the series opener, will also miss out due to a back injury. Felise Kaufusi hasl replace him in Billy Slater's confirmed 17-man squad.
It remains unclear if Cobbo has been dropped or if he sustained an injury during Brisbane's recent loss to South Sydney.
Walsh was concussed early in the first clash at Accor Stadium, forcing Cobbo to step in off the bench in a selection twist that had been criticised in the lead-up to the match but ultimately proved to be a masterstroke.
The 21-year-old fullback, was hit by Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii in the seventh minute of Queensland's 38-10 victory in Sydney.
Walsh has not played since that victory, but Cobbo will not be available this time for insurance if the Broncos' star fullback is unable to complete the second Origin in Melbourne.
Brisbane Broncos superstar Reece Walsh has been given the green light to play for Queensland in State of Origin II in Melbourne
It comes after he was knocked out by Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii in the opening Origin match at Accor Stadium
Walsh was unable to play the rest of that match and has not lined up for the Broncos since
Walsh has since completed all necessary concussion protocols while with the Brisbane club, missing NRL games against Cronulla and South Sydney during his mandatory 11-day stand-down period.
Walsh is expected to play against NSW at the MCG on June 26, provided he passes final tests.
'I have been talking to Reece over the last week and he has been ticking all the boxes and being really professional away from playing,' Maroons coach Billy Slater said to Channel Nine on Sunday.
Walsh's club and Origin doctor are confident he will pass the cognitive tests, making him almost certain to feature in Game II.
His concussion stand-down period concluded on Sunday night, which is a big relief for the Maroons.
'Of course, Billy will select him,' Broncos coach Kevin Walters said.
'Reece is good. He is doing all the protocols with the HIAs [Head Injury Assessments] and he will be fine to go for Origin II.'
Queensland coach Billy Slater is confident that Walsh will be back to his best despite the concussion layoff
Selwyn Cobbo was named on the bench for Origin I and was able to replace Walsh in the backline, but he has not been selected for Origin II
New Zealand Warriors warhorse Kurt Capewell has been recalled to the Origin squad
Parramatta's J'maine Hopgood, who made his debut in the first game, is likely out due to a back injury.
Dolphins veteran Felise Kaufusi is set to replace him on the bench. Kaufusi was the 18th man in Game I and played when Walsh left the field.
For Game II, the Blues have chosen South Sydney's Latrell Mitchell at centre who was a key player in NSW's 2-1 series win in 2021 but has not played for the Blues since.
'At the end of the day, you are going to be playing against quality no matter who is in the team,' Slater said about Mitchell.
'We do our due diligence in preparation against the opposition and give them respect, but we must respect our own game too.'
Despite their win, the Maroons were not fully satisfied with their performance in Sydney.
'I don't think our footy was consistent. We really swung in and out of that game,' said team manager and former Queensland forward Nate Myles.
'We had a style of football we wanted to play but didn't execute it right.'
POSSIBLE QUEENSLAND TEAM: 1 Reece Walsh, 2 Xavier Coates, 3 Valentine Holmes, 4 Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, 5 Murray Taulagi, 6 Tom Dearden, 7 Daly Cherry-Evans, 8 Reuben Cotter, 9 Ben Hunt, 10 Lindsay Collins, 11 Jaydn Su'A, 12 Jeremiah Nanai, 13 Patrick Carrigan, 14 Harry Grant, 15 Moeaki Fotuaika, 16 Felise Kaufusi, 17 Kurt Capewell.
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