If Kalyn Ponga’s vision of teaming up with Reece Walsh in the State of Origin series decider comes to fruition, Queensland will have a good chance of winning.
The Maroons’ top two fullbacks will play together at Origin Arena for the first time on July 17 at Suncorp Stadium.
Before Ponga injured his foot playing for Newcastle in round seven, Maroons coach Billy Slater told AAP he was looking for a way to put Walsh and the Knights captain in the same Origin team.
His wish has been granted: Walsh will start at fullback and Ponga will sit on the bench after making a successful NRL return in Newcastle’s 16-12 win over Canberra on Sunday.
Ponga and Walsh are both tension machines who can decide a game with their speed and skill.
Ponga, 26, said the idea of working with Walsh for the Maroons had been on his mind for a long time.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I have visions of him walking down the sideline and passing the ball back to me,” Ponga said.
“It’s exciting and I can’t wait to get out there, train with everyone and form combinations. Hopefully we can get it right. There’s still a lot of work to do between now and July 17. Combinations need to be formed, but that’s the exciting part.”
Ponga is as big a fan of Walsh’s game as the Queensland crowd. “I love what everyone else does when they watch him. His speed, his agility, how exciting he is, everything,” Ponga said.
“I haven’t figured out what my role will be when I come on as a substitute, but I guess I just have to give him the ball and let him open up.”
Ponga produced his best Origin performance in the decider at Suncorp Stadium in 2022, the last time he wore a Maroons jersey.
Slater can play a trump card by bringing back Ponga to partner Walsh in a combination that raises high expectations for the coach.
“I’ve always thought they’d love to be teammates and now they’re getting the opportunity. How we go about that is something we’ll figure out in the next nine days,” Slater said.
“I’m really looking forward to them both going out there and playing football. We know what they bring, they’re very exciting players, but at the same time we have to play really well from the start. We can’t be on the defensive like we were in the second game (in a 38-18 loss).
“To get there, we need to raise the standards of our game.”