Reece Walsh’s form slump has not worried his Maroons teammates ahead of Origin II and he has been backed by his captain to be the side’s secret weapon.
Cameron Munster is in no mood to let his Queensland teammates “mope” around after losing the State of Origin series opener 22-20 to the Blues, with the Maroons skipper trying his best to instil a new sense of belief in his team – especially Walsh.
Reece Walsh and Reuben Cotter share a laugh Getty Images
The 23-year-old was not present in that first game, but he has been recalled to the bench by Billy Slater, who is confident his skill will only benefit the Maroons.
While the reasons behind his recall have been kept internal, Walsh is aware of the criticism around the standard of footy he has been delivering for the Broncos.
The fullback himself conceded that he has not been “living up to those standards” set by selectors to earn a spot on the representative stage this season.
But Munster believes some time in Queensland camp could turn Walsh’s season around for the better.
Reece Walsh reacts on the field with the Broncos. NRL Imagery
“Someone like Reece doesn’t lack confidence,” he told 9News Queensland.
“But he just needs a little bit (right now).
“Everyone talks about his form … but we’ve all been in form slumps. When you get away from club land and get into a different environment, it sends a different message. You’ve got a different belief and confidence around you.
“If we can give him a little sprinkle (of confidence) before he goes back to the Broncos, you never know what is going to happen or what could be around the corner for them.
“He will be great for us on Wednesday, so hopefully we can get him on.”
As for the rest of his teammates, Munster made clear that they should not be looking back to the errors of game one and instead focus on the job at hand.
“You could always sit back and look at the what ifs and things that got away. But at the end of the day, that was the script that has been written,” he said.
“We can’t be sitting here kicking cans, moping around or being victims.
“We gave ourselves every chance. I know that we only had 12 men and made it hard for ourselves at one stage … but if the ‘Hammer’ (Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow) had caught that bomb and other things had happened … we could’ve been sitting here up 1-0.
“We just have to get on with it. You’re not always going to win the series if you win the first game.
“We’ve got some great players in our team. Looking at our squad, we are very comfortable that we can get the job done.”
Game two of the 2026 State of Origin series will kick off at 8.05pm at the MCG on Wednesday.