MARK ‘SPUDD’ CARROLL: Cody Walker should not be allowed to captain South Sydney in NRL again

Cody Walker should never captain South Sydney again.

I know he’s only the fill-in when Cameron Murray’s absent, but Wayne Bennett should strip him of the honour forever after the childish and selfish act that led to his sin-binning on Friday night.

In kicking out at Penrith’s Jack Cogger, Walker not only cost his team a try and put him in the sin bin for 10 minutes, it also robbed rookie winger Dayne Jennings of a lifetime memory.

Walker’s petulance saw the kid’s first NRL try chalked off.

Instead of watching that replay and hearing the commentator call his big moment until he is old and grey, Jennings probably won’t want to see it at all.

I know he went on to score a try soon after but it didn’t quite have the same impact.

And you can thank the most experienced player on the field for that.

Cody is up there with Cliffy Lyons as one of the most naturally gifted No.6s I’ve seen, but he needs to let his footy do the talking and play with controlled aggression.

He’s the easiest player in the NRL to wind up and opposition players know that.

He owned his actions and apologised to Jennings and teammates after the game, but the damage was done.

It was a 12-point turnaround that cost Souths valuable momentum and ultimately the game.

His poor impersonation of the Karate Kid also led to a one-game suspension at a critical point of the Bunnies’ season.

Bennett was at his Clint Eastwood best when asked about Cody’s brain explosion.

Usually, he defends his players to the hilt but not on this occasion.

He let the captain stew in his own mess.

It’s not as if this is Cody’s first rodeo.

He’s the easiest player in the NRL to wind up and opposition players know that.

A niggle here and a few words there and he just loses all self-control.

Declaring he will never again captain the Pride of the League sends a very powerful message that this sort of ill-discipline won’t be tolerated.

AND DON’T GET ME STARTED

I hope someone has a quiet word in Hudson Young’s ear before Wednesday’s Origin decider and tells him a little Origin tale from 35 years ago.

Back in game two of the 1991 series, a young Mark Geyer was told by a NSWRL official he could run amok and not risk being sent off or cited.

MG, who didn’t need any extra incentive to rip and tear, took the official at his word and created all sorts of mayhem, famously going the push and shove with Wally Lewis as the rain came down at the old Sydney Football Stadium.

That story has been told a thousand times but what is lost a bit in the re-telling is the Blues won the match 14-12 after putting King Wally and the Maroons off their game.

Young won’t get the same licence to unleash hell as the all-seeing bunker will dob him in at every opportunity.

But Hudson can still terrorise Queensland’s key spine players and lay the platform for a great Origin ambush.

I have one order for the Canberra tearaway: Monster Munster, run at Walker and force Grant into a faceplant.

Ditto Liam Martin, another crazy-eyed lunatic I love.

Cameron Munster, Sam Walker and Harry Grant will win the game for the Maroons if their forwards are allowed to get on the front foot, as they did for most of game one and all of game two.

NSW must at least draw even in that battle and I’m confident they will, especially if the right run-on side is chosen.

But please let Young do his thing.

He can rattle a few cages and get right in the faces of the Queensland superstars.

Just stay on this side of the law - and maybe threaten to step over it once or twice – to let them know you’re there and you’re gunning for them.

Tomorrow can wait – now’s the time to rip in and damn the consequences.

Listening to Young, I think he gets where I’m coming from.

“I like going after blokes and stirring them up. That’s just the way I’ve always played. I think in Origin you can do that a little bit more than the NRL,” he said.

“That’s the way the game’s built on and that’s the way I’ll play.”

Ahh, music to my ears.

Btw, I’m still hoping there will be some tinkering to the Blues’ starting side.

For me, Cameron Murray must be there from kick-off with Isaah Yeo beginning from the front-row.

Now let’s go out there and smash some Cane Toads!

BEFORE I GO

There are more good eggs in the NRL than bad but unfortunately we often only read about the negatives.

But here’s something that will truly warm your heart.

A client of mine sponsors the Sea Eagles and took his three girls to Brookvale Oval to watch Manly take on the Storm the weekend before last.

After the game, his daughters were hanging over the fence waiting for Tom Trbojevic to sign some gear.

Turbo obliged, as he always does, and one of the girls then politely asked if she could have his boots.

Tommy went a step further.

He asked for her dad’s number and next day turned up at her house with a pair of boots.

My client and his daughters were absolutely blown away.

Not many players would do that. It’s special.

Good on ya, Tommy.

You are a credit to your family, your club and the game.