3 minute read
Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans has laughed off NSW attempts to rattle the Maroons' teenage State of Origin debutant Reece Walsh.
Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans is confident NSW's best efforts to rattle teenage debutant Reece Walsh in State of Origin game two will fall flat.
The Maroons have plunged the seven-game NRL rookie into the deep end with Walsh named to play fullback after Paul Green's men were hammered 50-6 in the series opener.
Walsh has been the hot topic in the build-up to Sunday's clash, with Andrew Johns and Phil Gould criticising the selection of the 18-year-old while NSW coach Brad Fittler called out the young talent for diving to milk penalties.
An in-form Blues pack will attempt to unsettle Walsh at Suncorp Stadium but the experienced Cherry-Evans has heard and seen it all before.
"It's all part of the theatre of Origin, players getting attacked and I'm sure we're doing it to them through the media and they're throwing the same stuff back," Cherry-Evans said.
"So I wouldn't think he'd (Walsh) be reading too much into that.
"Brad (Fittler) tried to throw some similar chat at me a few years back when I came into Origin and it's just part of the game.
"Origin is going to be tough for 80 minutes; it doesn't matter whether it's your first or last touch, they're going to hurt.
"And after spending some time out there with him I know it doesn't matter whether he gets hit in the first or second tackle, he's going to keep showing up, he's tough."
The Maroons shifted their camp from the Gold Coast to Brisbane on Friday, Cherry-Evans relieved all players in the squad were fit and healthy after a disrupted preparation for their Townsville shocker.
The Blues will start strong favourites to seal the series at Suncorp with the latest COVID-19 restrictions likely forcing players into a bubble to ensure the match goes ahead.
"They're all big games and big challenges," Cherry-Evans said.
"We were optimistic we'd be able to win it, but it hasn't started the way we planned and we'll have to do it the hard way.
"My belief hasn't wavered; we've got a big ask, they've got the Shield right in front of them, would feel like it's right there, but the motivation to win is really, really high."