Xavier Willison’s dodging of a suspension has resulted in Michael Maguire having to make a brutal call to axe one of his Broncos players for the NRL grand final. And club great Corey Parker believes hooker Cory Paix might be the unlucky man to miss out.
Willison was placed on report in the preliminary final against Penrith, and it looked like he might have been facing a ban from the grand final. But he escaped with a $1000 fine on Monday and is free to take on the Melbourne Storm.
With Patrick Carrigan set to return from a one-game suspension, it means someone from the 17 that beat the Panthers will miss out. Speaking on SEN radio on Monday morning, Parker said he thinks it’ll be out of Paix and Tyson Smoothy.
Michael Maguire (L) will have to axe someone to accomodate Patrick Carrigan’s (R) return. Image: AAP
Paix started at hooker on Sunday in the preliminary final, but only played 31 minutes. Ezra Mam was injected into the game at five-eighth (after starting on the bench), which saw starting No.6 Ben Hunt switch to dummy-half.
As for Smoothy, he started at lock and played 39 minutes. He’s traditionally a hooker but has been seeing more time in the back-row of late. If Maguire decides to stick with Mam on the bench, it’s unlikely Paix will be axed because he’ll retain the starting No.9 job. But Parker believes Maguire will use Mam and Adam Reynolds as his starting halves, with Ben Hunt at hooker.
It looks to be out of Tyson Smoothy (L) and Cory Paix (R). Image: Getty
Cory Paix looms as hard-luck story of NRL grand final
That would mean Paix becomes surplus to requirements because Smoothy covers hooker and back-row, while Paix only plays dummy-half. It would be a cruel twist for Paix after playing 22 games this season.
“The way I see it right now is Ben Hunt goes from 6 to 9, (he) created a try for the Broncos coming out of dummy half,” Parker said on SEN. “Reynolds will hold 7, Ezra Mam – I thought he was very good when he came onto the field. He’ll stay at 6.
“Now if Hunt goes from 6 to 9, then that goes Paix from 9 … does he go to No.14 or do you hold a Tyson Smoothy, who can play 9, can play 13, and he played exceptionally well (against the Panthers). So, Paix has the probability of starting No.9 for Brisbane in a prelim final and playing the majority of the games for Brisbane to then potentially being rolling out the back door.”
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Ben Talty has chance to haunt Melbourne Storm
The other options would be to dump a Kobe Hetherington or Ben Talty, but both have been brilliant off the bench in recent weeks. Talty started the year in the Melbourne Storm system playing for the North Sydney Bears in NSW Cup, but was granted a mid-year release to join Brisbane amid an injury crisis for Maguire’s side.
Talty played pre-season trial games for the Storm this year and last, but Craig Bellamy seemingly never saw enough to hand him a first-grade debut. The 26-year-old rookie has thrived in Brisbane, and become one of the Broncos’ most dependable and valuable forwards. He now has the chance to come back and haunt Bellamy in Sunday night’s decider.