‘He’s ready’: Maguire says Walsh has made Maroons case

Murray Wenzel | June 27, 2025

Michael Maguire reckons Reece Walsh has already proved he’s ready for a State of Origin recall as he prepares for a final NRL audition against his former side.

The Brisbane fullback’s hopes of adding to his five Queensland appearances were initially hurt by a knee injury which the 22-year-old is still managing.

But, with incumbent Kalyn Ponga’s selection under the spotlight ahead of the July 9 Origin decider, he still made his case in the Broncos’ stirring comeback defeat of Cronulla last week.

Walsh overcame a frustrating first half to finish with two try assists, three linebreak assists, a linebreak, five tackle busts and 178 run metres.

He’ll get another chance to impress Maroons coach Billy Slater on Saturday against the fourth-placed New Zealand Warriors (10-4) at Suncorp Stadium.

Chasing an opportunity, Walsh left the Broncos for the Warriors in 2021 and returned to Red Hill in 2023 a star.

He debuted for Queensland later that year and played all three games of last year’s series while coming under heavy Blues attention.

“He’s done that in the last couple of weeks,” Broncos coach Maguire said of Walsh pressing his Origin claims. 

“Last week he took a massive step where I think he’s ready.

“It’s just a matter of whether the opportunity arises for him.

“He works really hard at his game and he’s actually good to have around … just loves talking footy, that’s certainly my style.”

The Broncos (7-7) have won back-to-back games after dropping four straight to sit seventh, three wins outside the top four.

Walsh was heavily involved in a 20-18 loss to the Warriors in April.

He set up and then scored tries as the visitors forced extra time, before booting his restart long and allowing Luke Metcalf to kick the winning penalty goal.

Maguire said they hadn’t dwelled on that game but hinted outside forces had been a motivating factor in chasing a top-four finish.

“A lot of people probably say we can’t do it, so it’s in our hands,” he said. 

“We are where we are now, so let’s see how we go. 

“It’s well and truly wide open, but we’ve got to make sure we find our game like we did last week and the week before.”