Cooper Cronk in massive revelation about Reece Walsh after 'poor' display in State of Origin 2

Queensland great Cooper Cronk believes Reece Walsh will make amends for a quiet Game 2 with a standout performance in the State of Origin decider on Wednesday night. Walsh has endured a difficult series after being knocked out in an ugly Game 1 hit by NSW centre Joseph Suaalii and then struggling to make an impact in Game 2.

Walsh didn't play a match in between games 1 and 2 due to the NRL's concussion stand-down policy and Cronk believes that was largely why the 22-year-old had an uncharacteristically quiet performance in NSW's 38-18 win at the MCG. And while the decision by Billy Slater to recall Maroons star Kalyn Ponga for Game 3 could unsettle some fullbacks, Lockyer believes it will do the opposite and inspire Walsh to "go for it". “I’m going all in on Walsh on this one and strangely enough he had a poor game in Game 2, he got smashed in Game I,” Cronk told Fox Sports Australia.

“Ponga’s in the team and it feels like he probably should be more rattled than ever but I just feel like when Billy’s coaching, this is the type of performance where he just goes for it. I think Walsh stands up.

“I’m going to go golden point and I think it’s going to be tight and hopefully Queensland kick that field goal to win it.”

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Kalyn Ponga keen to form dynamic duo with Reece Walsh

Ahead of Game 3, Ponga revealed he had been dreaming of linking up with Walsh at State of Origin level as the dynamic duo are poised to wreak havoc on the Blues in the series decider. Ponga and Walsh will be Maroons teammates for the first time on Wednesday at Suncorp Stadium, with the latter retaining his No.1 jersey and the Newcastle superstar set to be injected off the bench.

Ponga was replaced by Walsh as Maroons fullback last year and the Broncos star retained the No.1 jersey in 2024, with Ponga out injured. But the inclusion of the Knights star gives the Maroons a new dimension in attack. The reigning Dally M Medallist terrorised the Blues the last time he played for Queensland in 2022 - a man-of-the-match effort in the series decider - and the Blues will be on high alert.

The incredible Game 3 display from Ponga the last time he pulled on the Maroons jersey included one try, 15 tackle busts, two line breaks and a whopping 247 run metres. And the Knights skipper believes he and Walsh on the pitch at the same time will spell danger for NSW.

“Everyone loves watching him (Walsh) I guess. His speed, his elusiveness, how exciting he is, everything,” Ponga said about his Maroons teammate last week. “I’ve been thinking about it (playing alongside Walsh) for a little while. I’ve got visions of him going down the sidelines and passing it back inside to me."

Cronk says Slater's big challenge will be picking the right time to inject Ponga into the match. “Billy will have a plan and it would be let’s say (have) Daly Cherry-Evans, (Tom) Dearden, Ponga, Reece Walsh…maybe Ben Hunt is on there at the same time,” he said.

“What he (Billy) needs to do is he needs to time his run to perfection. He needs to try and predict when there’s a swing of possession his way because the last thing you need is having four little guys in the middle up against NSW’s Spencer Leniu.

“It’s like, Kalyn, sit there and when I feel like there’s momentum shifting and we get a repeat set, throw him out there straight away. At some stage if I was Billy, I would put Ponga with Walsh and Jeremiah Nanai in front of me going towards Best. All three of them in some shape or form, and just make him (Best) second guess.”