Two rounds remain before the first teams for the State of Origin series are named, and Queensland Maroons coach Billy Slater has a fullback dilemma.
Three men are vying for the No.1 jumper that the NRL great made famous. We break down the contenders.
Reece Walsh
For all the attacking wizardry he produces, one defensive play against the Roosters may have just sealed Reece Walsh’s Queensland comeback.
As Sydney led 30-0 against the Broncos, Daniel Tupou’s break created what appeared to be a simple two-on-one against Walsh and Roosters centre Hugo Savala.
But Walsh’s positioning covered both men and eventually forced Savala into touch, in one of the elite try-saving tackles of the season. Brisbane went on to score four unanswered tries, with their momentum only halted by Pat Carrigan’s error on the attack again, and Kotoni Staggs being sent to the sin bin.
Walsh would score the first of those tries, and set up another, but it was that never-say-die defensive play that no doubt would have made Slater sit up.
“He’s one of those people who, if he puts his mind to it, can achieve anything,” Broncos five-eighth Ezra Mam said of Walsh.
“Just seeing his efforts off the ball and for him to round off his game is pretty impressive. Not many people can do a try-saver like that, and it just shows the effort he has and the competitiveness about his game.
“To see that [play] with the scoreline what it was, it’s definitely inspiring for us boys. We obviously fell short, but it was really inspiring to see him do that.”
Since Walsh and the Broncos burst into form from round 14 onwards last year, the club have conceded on average eight second-half points per game.
While injuries prevented him from featuring in last year’s series triumph, his form at the back end of the year to deliver the Broncos a premiership garnered him the Clive Churchill Medal and a Kangaroos jersey.
If he can navigate Brisbane – which could be missing up to 15 top-flight players – to a win against Manly on Saturday night, the stage will be set for the 23-year-old to reunite with Slater.
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
He is the incumbent who helped inspire the Maroons’ game-three series-sealing triumph last year, and has solidified his standing as the NRL’s fastest man.
Tabuai-Fidow has also blossomed into one of the best support-play fullbacks in the game – regularly seen assisting a break on the inside to score, while he has become a lethal aerial threat that his Dolphins halfback, Isaiya Katoa, has exploited.
Perhaps what works against his hopes of clinching the No.1 jumper is his own versatility, having played the majority of his Origin career in the centres.
He has also filled in on the wing, and could be used there again given Xavier Coates (Achilles) and Murray Taulagi (concussion) remain sidelined, while Valentine Holmes has struggled for form with the Dragons and admitted, “I haven’t earned it this year”.
Robert Toia appears to be the most likely of the centre options to be certain of inclusion, while Cowboys young guns Thomas Chester and Jaxon Purdue have shot out of the blocks in 2026. Dane Gagai, Selwyn Cobbo and Gehamat Shibasaki are other outside back options.
Tabuai-Fidow will feature somewhere in the Maroons’ line-up, and the man himself admitted that while his preference in the Origin arena would be at centre, he was eager to assume any role Slater saw fit – albeit hopeful that he would lock down one spot for the whole campaign.
“Wherever Billy wants me to play – I played all three positions last year – I think I can go out there and do a job,” Tabuai-Fidow said ahead of the Dolphins’ Thursday night clash with the Bulldogs.
“That [playing one position] is what you want to do, but when you put the team first, you can do anything, and with all the boys who have trust in you, you can excel.
“My preference would be at centre. I think I’ve played most of my games at that level at centre, and I know what it takes to be a centre at that level. But I’m not counting out wing, I’ve done a job there before.”
Kalyn Ponga
One game back from a hamstring strain was enough for Kalyn Ponga to land back on the Origin radar. Newcastle had struggled in their past three encounters, suffering heavy defeats to Penrith, Sydney and Wests Tigers.
They scored 58 points across those outings, and conceded 124. Ponga’s comeback last week against a high-flying South Sydney Rabbitohs changed the Knights’ fortunes, running for 204 metres, with seven tackle busts, while coming up with a linebreak and try assist in the 42-38 triumph.
Despite the points leaked, Ponga showed plenty of toughness flying towards a rampant Latrell Mitchell in an attempt to stop him short of the line. At this stage, however, it would appear Walsh has the inside running.
Working against Ponga is his limited football this year, which started brilliantly in Las Vegas before he suffered his injury setback 28 minutes into round two. But in his favour is the introduction of the six-man bench, where he could be called upon to cover a range of positions.
The 28-year-old made a star showing in his Origin debut as a ball-playing lock off the bench back in 2018 – running for 108 metres from 10 carries, including being brought agonisingly short of a decisive try by James Tedesco.
“I think Kalyn probably steals that 14 [utility] position … I think Kalyn can play every position, same with Hammer, so I’m sure they’ll both be in the 19,” Maroons captain Cameron Munster said on Nine’s 100% Footy.
“With the great rules these days, you can have a bench and pretty much pick whoever you want in case someone gets an injury. It’s a great luxury to have.”
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