MARK ‘SPUDD’ CARROLL: Billy Slater makes right call by recalling Reece Walsh to Maroons for Origin Game II

Damn you Billy, damn you Queensland.

In one stroke of the pen, you have delivered my biggest nightmare as NSW looks to wrap up the 2026 Origin series.

The decision to recall superstar fullback Reece Walsh for game two is a risky but brilliant move from coach Billy Slater.

Regular readers would know my admiration for Walsh and the fear he strikes into me every time he wears the maroon and starts picking at our defence.

I don’t care if his club form’s been iffy – most of the Broncos are off at the moment – I’d want him in my side if I’m a Maroons fan.

As I wrote before Game I: “Walsh is a next level threat - he gives defences migraines.

“Why wouldn’t you at least pick him on the bench?

“If the Maroons were finding the going tough and struggling to find points, you could have thrown Reece Lightning into the fray to liven things up.

“And if things are going well then leave it as it is and Walsh can be one of your two unused benchwarmers.

“I reckon Laurie Daley would have given a little fist pump when he saw Walsh’s name missing from the Maroons’ team sheet.”

If Billy had taken my advice, he may have been heading to the MCG with a 1-0 lead.

Imagine if Walsh came into the game to replace Kalyn Ponga after the Queensland fullback was dismissed for his tackle on Tolu Koula.

Reece would have slotted straight in at No.1, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow stays in the centres and Kurt Capewell’s not needed to be Mr Spakfilla in the backline.

It could have been a different story with the Maroons walking away with a win we’d be hearing about for generations.

I’m thankful that didn’t happen.

Walsh can come up with the odd howler, but he is more diamonds than rocks.

Broncos coach Michael Maguire has coached Walsh and plotted against him as an opposition coach.

He had this to say when asked if the 2025 grand final hero was off his game: “There’s some moments in games where he’s coming up with some pretty spectacular plays, so what do you call off?”

My thoughts exactly.

I will lose sleep over this bloke for the next eight nights.

The NSW squad is as I expected.

Payne Haas’ return is massive and Tolu Koula deserved to retain his spot despite Casey McLean’s excellent debut.

I’d have stuck with Ethan Strange at five-eighth, but Laurie’s gone with Michell Moses.

The Stranger will still wreak havoc off the bench at some stage.

It’s a team that can get the job done and I pray they do because no one south of the border - apart from the NRL bean counters - wants a decider in Brisbane.

AND DON’T GET ME STARTED

Can you believe it was only two months ago we were talking about Manly possibly collecting its first wooden spoon?

Now they’re on a real tear, winning eight of their last 10 matches to sit fourth on the table.

Their coach is even being immortalised on the famous KFC logo at Colonel Saunders local outlet!

Can life get any better?

I’ve lived on the northern beaches most of my adult life and have never seen the sort of hype surrounding Kieran Foran and his Fozball revolution.

Sure, the locals have had some bloody good sides to cheer for in the past – and I was fortunate enough to be part of it in the 1990s.

But this hits different.

After three straight losses to start the season, fans were dragging their feet around town moaning about the state of the club and predicting years of doom and gloom.

They were into me everywhere I went, wanting answers to why it was going so wrong.

I had to jump on my jet ski a few times and race across to Lion Island just to get some peace!

No one could have predicted what was going to happen when Foran replaced Anthony Seibold in early April.

We all thought there would be some improvement but nothing like this.

Foz has freed the players’ minds and got back to the old basics of running hard, tackling hard, working for the bloke beside you and competing on every single play.

People are questioning if they can maintain the rage.

I say, “why not?”

In a season where only two teams are really shooting the lights out – Penrith and the Warriors – the Sea Eagles loom as a genuine premiership force.

Foz believes they can win the comp and I’m not about to prick his balloon.

If Manly does take it out, it would arguably be the most remarkable premiership win in the game’s history.

And to a team at the other end of the scale, good on Benji Marshall for telling like it is after his team’s disgraceful 68-0 loss to Penrith.

The Tigers played like a park footy side and got what they deserved.

It was boys against men stuff.

Marshall didn’t try to sugar-coat things, calling the performance “embarrassing”, “dumb”, unacceptable” and “brain dead”.

The Tigers haven’t played finals football since 2011 and it’s hard to see that drought breaking despite a promising start to the year.

These sorts of defeats can kill a side’s season stone dead.

But avoiding excuses and confronting the problems head on, as Benji is doing, gives me some hope for their future.