THE theory that Queenslanders pick and stick and show faith in proven State of Origin performers looks set to be put to the test this year with their handling of Kalyn Ponga.
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If I was a selector, Reece Walsh is the first bloke I'd pick.
- CHRIS CLOSE
It is part of Origin folklore that the Cane Toads will drag a player out of reserve grade, or alternatively out of the nearest pub on Caxton St, and watch him transform into Superman as soon as he pulls on a Maroons jersey.
But there is mounting speculation that any loyalty they owe Ponga after his heroics in last year's interstate series will be superseded by the rise and rise of Reece Walsh since joining Brisbane from the Warriors.
Walsh delivered another superlative performance in the Broncos' 32-6 demolition of Manly at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night and, on form this season, it is hard to deny he has presented a more compelling case for selection than Ponga.
The 20-year-old dynamo has played every minute of Brisbane's nine games this year, scoring four tries, making seven line breaks and delivering 11 try assists, to rate among the standout performers in a team flying high on top of the table.
Ponga, in contrast, has made four appearances in his new role of five-eighth - only one of which has lasted 80 minutes - after missing five games through concussion. In that time he has thrown the final pass for two tries but is yet to break the line or cross the stripe himself.
After his alarming display in Newcastle's 43-12 loss to Parramatta 10 days ago - during which he missed a team-high eight tackles - a host of high-profile commentators have queried how much longer Knights coach Adam O'Brien can persist with the plan to convert his $1 million-plus marquee man from a custodian into a pivot.
One of those pundits, incidentally, was Immortal Andrew Johns, who just happens to work as a consultant on O'Brien's staff.
The prospect of Ponga being discarded by Queensland would have been unthinkable after he was an inspirational man of the match in last year's series decider.
But to underline the odds stacked against him, Maroons legend Chris Close declared in an interview on Sunday's Big Sports Breakfast radio show: "If I was a selector, Reece Walsh is the first bloke I'd pick."
Close acknowledged Ponga had done an outstanding job in the past but argued that Walsh's "energy" and form demanded selection.
Even a bench spot for Newcastle's skipper would appear unlikely, given the Ben Hunt-Harry Grant tag-team combination.
Ponga still has two games to stake a claim, against Gold Coast and Cronulla. Reverting to fullback ASAP might give him a glimmer of hope.
But at this point in time, Origin is probably the last thing his mind. He already has enough to worry about.
