Kevin Walters bluffing or making a legitimate threat? Queensland has always leaned on experience and players that have done the job previously, so it's hard to tell if Walters is just doing this to encourage the youngsters and keeping the incumbents on their toes or is he thinking about a succession plan. I don't imagine the spine Smith, Cronk, Thurston, and Boyd have anything to be worried about. But I definitely could see the Queensland forwards being put on notice to not take their selection for granted.
"QUEENSLAND’S evergreen Origin stars have been served a public warning they are not guaranteed one more for the road on the second year of Kevin Walters’ coaching reign.
Emerging Origin squad members were urged by Walters at their weekend camp at the Gold Coast to shoot for the stars, and push long-term Maroons into earlier than expected retirements with irresistible form.
“Origin is really close for some of them, really close,’’ Walters said yesterday.
“I have no doubt this year there will players who were there who will play Origin this year. That’s just the way it works.
“It’s nearly time for this generation to push through and put a whole heap of pressure on (the veteran players). You have to work hard to break into an Origin side and that’s what I want to see from them with their clubs.’’
Among the 2016 Maroons, Cameron Smith and Johnathan Thurston were 33, Cooper Cronk and Jacob Lillyman were 32, Nate Myles and Sam Thaiday were 31 and Cowboys Matt Scott and Gavin Cooper were 30.
While Corey Parker, 34, has since retired, Billy Slater, 33, hopes to win back the fullback spot with a sound comeback from shoulder surgery.
Walters was so confident that six players had learned their lesson from last year’s curfew-breaking bans that he decided against ordering a curfew this time.
Valentine Holmes, Dylan Napa, Ben Hunt, Anthony Milford, Cameron Munster, Jarrod Wallace, Edrick Lee and Chris Grevsmuhl were banned from Origin contention in 2016 when it was found they had broken curfew during last summer’s camp.
All except Grevsmuhl were part of the 2017 Emerging squad.
Asked if all players had behaved themselves at night over the weekend, Walters said: “Of course they did.
“I’ve seen some growth in them which was the most pleasing thing of the whole weekend.
“This time last year (the breakup day of the 2016 camp), we didn’t know what was going on, we were running around.
“This year they were all very well behaved and that’s the maturity in them.
“I didn’t think it was necessary (to have a curfew). That’s not the way I like to operate.’’
Holmes and Napa, in particular, would seem capable of Origin debuts this year, a year after Cooper, Corey Oates and Justin O’Neill were blooded.
The transitioning of players for Origin debuts was aided by meetings with team sports psychologist Mick Martin, who has also worked extensively with the Storm."
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...s/news-story/f4fd165bce68172a68ba05dd0e8f34bd
