Origin blow for Queensland as Walsh sidelined with knee injury

Queensland hopeful Reece Walsh faces a race against time to be fit for State of Origin I after sustaining a knee injury in the Broncos’ 20-18 golden-point loss to the Warriors on Saturday in Auckland.

The injury occurred in the first minute of the match against the New Zealand Warriors in a tackle with former Bronco and Queensland team-mate Kurt Capewell, leaving the full-back to battle through the pain for the remainder of the game.

The 22-year-old was briefly moved to the wing to recover before spearheading an all-mighty comeback, with a rocket assist and a try in the 73rd minute, sending the game into extra time.

But a blunder from the Broncos golden boy at the game restart saw Walsh kick the ball out on the full, giving the Warriors’ half-back Luke Metcalf the chance to secure victory with a 50-metre penalty goal in the first minute of golden point.

The Brisbane club confirmed via Qscan on Sunday that Walsh is expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks as he recovers from a Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) knee injury.

Walsh will undergo further assessment when the team returns to Brisbane.

“It was a real credit to him to fight through the game,” Brisbane Broncos coach Michael Maguire said.

“He has done something to his knee. There is something there that we need to have a look at.”

Walsh’s injury has thrown his availability for the State of Origin series opener in Brisbane on May 28 into doubt.

As a key player for both the Broncos and Queensland, a stint on the sidelines comes as blow to the Maroons as they planned a counter assault on NSW’s 2024 come-from-behind series win.

Newcastle Knights’ captain Kalyn Ponga is now the favourite to wear the coveted Queensland number-one jersey, as long as he can stay injury free on the run-up to game one.

Selwyn Cobbo is the most likely candidate to replace Walsh at the back for the Broncos, after filling in the role successfully last year.

Despite the Broncos narrow loss on Saturday, Maguire refused to criticise Walsh for his extra time error and instead gave the young star credit for his gutsy performance.

“He fought through the whole game with that issue,” Maguire added.

“It’s a real credit to him.”

The Broncos come away from New Zealand with two-game losing streak – their discipline issues coming back into the spotlight following their defeat.

Brisbane conceded 10 penalties to the Warriors’ four, making critical errors at crucial moments in the game.

“In the first half, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves through discipline and errors,” Maguire said.

“We need to be smarter there. We can control how we go about our game.

“We defended well for a long period of time in the first half, there was a lot of effort, but we just need to be smarter in what we are doing.”

The Broncos, who were down 18-6 with 15 minutes left on the clock, almost pulled of an epic comeback.

“We had an opportunity there at the back end of the game,” Maguire said.

“We were set up for field goals and we have to be smarter in that space.”

Walsh, who originally joined the Broncos as a development player, before spending two years with the Warriors, returned to Brisbane in 2023 and has been a leading force in the club’s revival.

The Gold Coast born fullback has scored 26 tries in 43 games for the Broncos and has made five Origin appearances for Queensland.