Billy Slater has reaffirmed his support for Reece Walsh and backed the rookie fullback to handle the pressure of an Origin debut as the Blues look to target him.
Slater however, was unconcerned about Walsh’s error rate, trusting the work he had done in training to prepare for the match.
“We all make mistakes,” Slater said. “I've made a few of my time, I'll probably make a few in the future too.While Walsh will be Queensland’s only debutant for the series opener, the Maroons will also field a relatively inexperienced pack, with one gamer Thomas Flegler stepping in for retired prop Josh Papali’i.“Obviously big Papa has been a real warrior for Queensland for a decade now and they're big shoes to fill, but, we're really healthy in that position,” Slater said.
“Flegler was involved in all three camps for us last year and never got the opportunity to play, so I think he's really earnt it. I think he's a better player this year than he was last year. “He's more rounded and, and I know Payne [Haas] and Patty [Carrigan] get a lot of wraps at the Broncos, and rightfully so, but Fleg's been doing a fantastic job for the Broncos as well, so he's really earnt his opportunity to play for Queensland.”
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