Reece Walsh tried too hard and ended up putting in a mixed performance in his bid to get the suddenly vacant Queensland No.1 jersey but the Broncos held on to upset the Warriors 26-12 at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.
With Knights star Kalyn Ponga ruled out of Origin III with a Lisfranc injury suffered in Friday night’s loss to the Raiders, Walsh is in a battle with Dolphins speedster Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to line up at fullback against NSW in the series decider on July 9 at Accor Stadium.
The Broncos ace was below his best at times against the Warriors, pushing passes and overplaying his hand, but did have a few moments of magic.
He ended up with just 118 run metres but did come up with a try assist for Gehamat Shibasaki on the stroke of half-time.
Maroons coach Billy Slater will announce his team on Monday for the mission to complete a comeback series win after their game-one loss in Brisbane last month.
“I thought our defence went really well. The forwads front-loaded and that set us up for the game,” Walsh told Fox League straight after the match.
The Broncos put in one of their best performances of the season in the first half to romp to an 18-0 lead over the fourth-placed visitors.
Kotoni Staggs latched onto an Adam Reynolds grubber in the second minute to make the Warriors pay for a basic handling error in the opening set of the match.
Josiah Karapani steamed onto a cut-out pass to double the lead in the 14th minute before Gehamat Shibasaki added a third for the hosts just before the break.
The Warriors lost fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad to a painful leg injury after ending up in an awkward position in a goal-line tackle and half Luke Metcalf failed to finish the match after copping a heavy hit when he passed at the line in the 65th minute.
Brendan Piakura was placed on report for the hit on Metcalf but it was neither high nor late, just a perfectly timed bellringer to his opponent’s ribcage as he passed to a support runner.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck got the Warriors on the board in the 45th minute and when Leka Halasima claimed a bomb with 15 minutes left, the gap was just eight.
However, Shibasaki touched down for his second to cement his spot as the NRL’s leading try-scorer and seal a vital win for Brisbane.
It was the first time the Warriors have lost back-to-back matches in 2025 while the Broncos are now up to an 8-7 record and are now just four points off fourth spot in sixth.
