Reece Walsh among star Broncos pushing case for State of Origin selection
Brisbane only have one representative in the Queensland side but that could soon change if three of their Maroons contenders can string two strong games together.
Only lock Pat Carrigan will play for the Maroons in the second match of the State of Origin series in Perth, but Reece Walsh, Jesse Arthars and Brendan Piakura could rocket into contention for game three, pending the Origin result on Wednesday night.
Utility Ben Hunt, still absent with a hamstring injury, won't be available for the clash with Cronulla at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday but the Broncos hope to have him back for the Warriors or Canterbury games in the weeks ahead.
Second-rower Jack Gosiewski is set to return from a broken arm against the Sharks off the bench.
Broncos prop Ben Te Kura had surgery on a syndesmosis injury and is expected to miss six to eight weeks.
The Broncos are hoping to build on their 44-14 win over Gold Coast in round 14 before their bye.
Walsh, on return from a knee injury, had his best match of the season with two tries and an elite passing game to put him in the frame for a Maroons recall.
Winger Arthars was in Queensland's camp ahead of game one of the series, won 18-6 by NSW. He has been one of the Broncos best players the past three years and is highly regarded by Maroons coach Billy Slater.
Back-rower Piakura has had an up and down season but when on song he is an attacking and defensive threat, as he was against the Titans.
His issue has been consistency but Slater also brought the barnstorming forward into camp last year and gave him sage advice.
'The message was about making sure there's detail in the little things ... my positioning, both in attack and defence, and just working with my halfback,' Piakura said.
'If I just keep playing consistently and good footy, hopefully I will get that call-up.'
Arthars said he was hopeful his Origin dream would soon be realised.
'When I went into the camp I just wanted to soak it all in, and I think just the intensity of the training is what I took out of it,' he said
'I've tried to bring it back here for the boys. It's something I've been working on over the years, and to get the call from Bill was pretty special.
'To be considered and in the picture for Origin is something I've always wanted to be a part of and I really enjoyed the experience I had.'
Walsh, who played in the past two Origin series, is the most likely to come into the Maroons frame.
'Walshy went through a tough period with his knee, and he's another player we want to have out there as much as we can,' Arthars said.
'He works just as hard as anyone else at the club, so to have him back last week against the Titans was pretty nice. He brought that energy and everyone loves playing with him.'
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Semi-finalists last year, the Cowboys are now in an almighty rut. Payten's men have won just one match since Magic Round, dropping five and drawing one to Penrith. They have let in an average of 36 points a game through that period, including 100 points alone in the past fortnight to the Dolphins and Cowboys. Questions also remain around the halves pairing of Dearden and Jaxon Purdue, with the latter moved from centre to five-eighth a month ago. But their biggest issue has been a woeful completion rate through that period, with Payten labelling them the NRL's worst team for errors out of their own end. Adding to that is the fact the Cowboys have completed at above 75 per cent just twice in their past seven games. Asked after the loss to the Roosters whether changes were possible, Payten indicated it was on his mind. "We'll be considering it, definitely, off the back of the past few weeks," he said. "We'll have a look at what is underneath and then reassess and get to work." Payten also refused to use the Origin period as an excuse, with the Cowboys having four players coming in and out of camp in the past month. "It's not an excuse, far from it," Payten said. "Not a contributing factor one little bit. "You look at some other teams across the competition (who) have handled it perfectly and we have done so in the past. So it's irrelevant. "It's disappointing, and far from good enough. "We got bullied, it was men against boys there for a little bit and that's concerning." Payten's threat came as Dearden also made a scathing assessment of his own performance, which included conceding an intercept pass for a Mark Nawaqanitawase try. The Cowboys had balls hitting the ground in attack, while Dearden was responsible for five missed tackles. "The body felt good, I was ready to go," Dearden said of backing up from Origin. "I'm really disappointed in my performance. I thought I was horrible tonight." Todd Payten has warned he could swing the axe after admitting North Queensland were bullied by the Sydney Roosters as they fell to a second straight thrashing. Payten described the Cowboys' 42-8 loss as looking like boys against men at times, as his team conceding four tries in the space of 10 minutes in the second half. Halfback Tom Dearden also conceded he was "horrible", backing up four days after winning his first State of Origin game wearing the Queensland No.7 jersey. Semi-finalists last year, the Cowboys are now in an almighty rut. Payten's men have won just one match since Magic Round, dropping five and drawing one to Penrith. They have let in an average of 36 points a game through that period, including 100 points alone in the past fortnight to the Dolphins and Cowboys. Questions also remain around the halves pairing of Dearden and Jaxon Purdue, with the latter moved from centre to five-eighth a month ago. But their biggest issue has been a woeful completion rate through that period, with Payten labelling them the NRL's worst team for errors out of their own end. Adding to that is the fact the Cowboys have completed at above 75 per cent just twice in their past seven games. Asked after the loss to the Roosters whether changes were possible, Payten indicated it was on his mind. "We'll be considering it, definitely, off the back of the past few weeks," he said. "We'll have a look at what is underneath and then reassess and get to work." Payten also refused to use the Origin period as an excuse, with the Cowboys having four players coming in and out of camp in the past month. "It's not an excuse, far from it," Payten said. "Not a contributing factor one little bit. "You look at some other teams across the competition (who) have handled it perfectly and we have done so in the past. So it's irrelevant. "It's disappointing, and far from good enough. "We got bullied, it was men against boys there for a little bit and that's concerning." Payten's threat came as Dearden also made a scathing assessment of his own performance, which included conceding an intercept pass for a Mark Nawaqanitawase try. The Cowboys had balls hitting the ground in attack, while Dearden was responsible for five missed tackles. "The body felt good, I was ready to go," Dearden said of backing up from Origin. "I'm really disappointed in my performance. I thought I was horrible tonight."
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Courier-Mail
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