“He did a great job under the high ball, not just scoring three tries, but he saved probably just as many – getting under Spencer Leniu, that’s not easy, and I think he held up James Tedesco at one stage too,” Slater said.
“He did a wonderful job to adjust to a different position. I know he plays there every week and that’s a luxury, but I thought he was super.”
The game was over in eight minutes. Has it cost the series?
It was the massive call that changed the narrative of the contest.
Less than eight minutes into his New South Wales debut, Suaalii was sent from the field for dangerous contact as his shoulder collected Walsh high.
On rugby league’s greatest stage, playing much of the clash with 12 men was simply never going to hold up, despite the Blues’ bravery.
The decision by referee Ashley Klein divided opinion among the two camps.
Reece Walsh hits the deck after a hit from Joseph Suaalii.
From the Maroons’ point of view, Slater remained tight-lipped twice when asked, saying: “I’ll keep my feelings about that to myself.”
Maroons captain Daly Cherry-Evans offered more.
“It was pretty standard, I reckon. There’s not much to argue, it is what it is. The refs are under pressure out there, they made the right decision, and the game went on,” he said.
But for the Blues, coach Michael Maguire was adamant the circumstances of the contact needed to be considered more closely.
“I think earlier in the year he ended up with a broken jaw I think, and there was no send-off,” Maguire said, referring to the time Walsh suffered a facial fracture against Penrith.
“This one was line ball because he was actually falling, and the height at that last moment had Joey clip him a bit. A big call in a game like this.”
While the Sydney defeat is a damaging blow to the Blues’ hopes of avoiding three-straight series defeats, the way they attacked in their aggressive defence at times showed there was life.
Zac Lomax (212 metres and a try), Angus Crichton (168 metres) and Reece Robson (50 tackles) in particular were strong, and until Ben Hunt crossed for his second try in the 66th minute, the game was in the balance.
“It was tough, but there were periods in the game we have to take a lot of confidence from,” Blues captain Jake Trbojevic said.
“For the first 20 minutes of the second half I thought we were on top, with 12 men. We’ve got to be pretty proud of some of the efforts there.”
Is Holmes’ selection still a fait accompli?
Valentine Holmes has been a walk-up starter for the Maroons, and become one of Queensland’s all-time leading try scorers.
But has a standout performance by Selwyn Cobbo put his position up for debate?
Selwyn Cobbo was outstanding for the Maroons in Game One.Credit: NRL Photos/Gregg Porteous
While the Cowboys centre attempted to run hard coming out of his own end, finishing with 156 metres, he came up with a trio of errors – all deep in his own end – to put his side under pressure.
In contrast, Cobbo was outstanding: heavily involved in three tries on the back of some bruising carries and a couple of late offloads, while running for 149 metres and nine tackle busts.
Slater has shown in the past reputation does not secure jerseys, with the likes of Dane Gagai falling out of favour.
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Whether Cobbo usurps Holmes for the centre roll could loom as a debate, but the coach appears unlikely to alter from fielding an outside back on his bench.
“You think back to last year in Adelaide – we had both our wingers off the field, we had centres playing on the wing, David Fifita playing in the centres, Ben Hunt playing the centres,” Slater said.
“The team’s been accustomed to adapting to adversity. Hindsight’s a great thing, but it worked out in our favour.
“He [Cobbo] prepared to play there, we prepared for the unexpected and the unexpected happened.”
Who will back up?
Given Walsh failed his head injury assessment, the Broncos will be searching for a man to fill the No.1 void for a crucial clash with Cronulla on Saturday.
Under NRL protocols, any player who suffers a category one concussion – the metric ruling them out for the rest of the game – must be sidelined for 11 days.
Reece Walsh failed a head injury assessment after a high tackle by Joseph Suaalii.Credit: Getty
“He seems to be ok now,” Slater said of Walsh post-game.
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“He didn’t look too good on the field obviously, but he seems to be OK in the sheds.”
Broncos coach Kevin Walters has named Tristan Sailor among his reserves in what appears to be a timely comeback from an ankle injury suffered in the Queensland Cup.
Cobbo has also proved to be a more than capable fullback, but the volume of work he got through may ensure he, at best, remains in the centres.
Given Adam Reynolds remains sidelined with a bicep rupture, stand-in captain Pat Carrigan will be desperate to back up, although his 164 metres and 41 tackles may have taken a toll.
New South Wales star Payne Haas was also relatively well contained – finishing with 97 metres, three offloads and 42 tackles from his 53-minute stint – and if his body has pulled up fine from a mountain of defence he will have a strong chance of taking on the Sharks.
Source Agencies
