Darren Lockyer goes public with real reason Reece Walsh was axed from State of Origin
The Broncos star wasn’t even included on the six-man bench.
The fact Walsh wasn’t even included in the 20-man squad has raised eyebrows and sparked plenty of questions, especially considering the addition of the six-man benches this year. Walsh suffered a fractured cheekbone in Round 5 and missed a month of footy.
(Hannah Peters)
“Going into a big Origin game with confidence, it plays a huge factor,” Lockyer said. “Reece is coming back from a month off. The Broncos are struggling a bit for form and we just felt that Kalyn is playing in a winning team at the moment. He is a big contributor to that and he is just in almost career-best form.
“We know what Reece is capable of. The key now for Reece is how he responds to the disappointment and focuses on getting back to playing his best footy.”
Walsh was the best player in the NRL at the end of 2025. His start to 2026 wasn’t as good, and he hasn’t been at his brilliant best since his facial injury.
Reece Walsh ‘told Billy Slater he wasn’t 100 per cent’
Speaking earlier this week, former NRL player James Maloney reported that Walsh had a recent conversation with Slater and told him he wasn’t 100 per cent. “To me that makes sense,” Maloney told news.com.au.
“I don’t know why else you’d leave him out and I don’t think Billy would leave him out if he was alright. But if he’s said I’m not quite right then [Slater] went ‘OK I’ll leave you (out of the team)’.
“I reckon he’s a big chance of being involved in Game 2 and 3. If you’re not 100 per cent confident and you have to put your body on the line and you’re concerned about it it would be a problem.”
Lockyer confirmed that Walsh is still be in the frame for selection for the remainder of the series.