Cooper Cronk call backfires brutally as Queensland State of Origin great turns on Billy Slater

Maroons legend Cooper Cronk's prediction on Reece Walsh has backfired after Queensland lost the State of Origin series in the Game 3 decider, which has seen Corey Parker call out Billy Slater's tactics. Walsh has been at the centre of scrutiny for a number of weeks with his form dipping since he was concussed after being hit high in Game 1.

Walsh faced criticism for a poor display in Game 2 in Melbourne and the backlash has continued after Game 3 with Blues No.1 Dylan Edwards outshining his younger counterpart in the 14-4 win. The Maroons fullback struggled to help the Queensland attack with the home side unable to score a try in Game 3.

While Walsh has been recovering from a broken eye socket and then a concussion in Game 1, the 21-year-old has not lived-up to the lofty standards he set last year in the Origin arena. And he looked like he played through a lot of pain at Suncorp having been battered and bruised in a physical encounter.

And unfortunately for Queensland, Cronk's prediction for Game 3 didn't come to fruition. Under the guidance of arguably the game's best fullback - in coach Billy Slater - Cronk backed Walsh to 'stand up' at Suncorp to show he is the game's premier No.1. Unfortunately, calls have grown for Kalyn Ponga to take the fullback position.

“Ponga’s in the team and it feels like he probably should be more rattled than ever but I just feel like when Billy’s coaching, this is the type of performance where he just goes for it. I think Walsh stands up," Cronk predicted ahead of the game. “I’m going to go golden point and I think it’s going to be tight and hopefully Queensland kick that field goal to win it.”

Cronk's hope Walsh would shine fell short with Edwards now the frontrunner to claim the Kangaroos No.1 jersey after a brilliant player-of-the-match performance. And while Walsh wasn't able to turn around the Maroons' fortunes, Queensland great Parker called out coach Slater for his team selection.

Corey Parker calls out Billy Slater over Origin tactics

Parker was left baffled at the Slater's selection calls and he was particularly critical of David Fifita's snub. The Maroons looked tired in the second-half after being forced to make countless tackles in their own territory.

The Maroons could have used another forward towards the end of the game when they needed momentum out of their own half. And Parker questioned why the barnstorming second-rower wasn't called into the squad to make an impact off the bench in Game 3.

“Hindsight is a wonderful thing but I had reservations coming into the game about no David Fifita,” Parker said on SEN Radio. "Felise Kaufusi had two runs for five metre, five tackles over 16 minutes worth of work.

“Explain to me how in 16 minutes David Fifita couldn’t do that. Let’s assume there’s no background (injury). David Fifita should be in that team.” Despite the criticism, Slater defended his selection before the game and claimed it was due to Fifita not reaching the heights he set himself in 2023. “We feel that the 17 players that have been chosen are the 17 players that have earned the opportunity to be here,” Slater said.

But those reasons don't stack up. Fifita has averaged 151 run metres per game in 2024, compared to 145m per game last season and he's already managed 25 offloads, six linebreaks, ten linebreak assists and four tries. Reports suggested Slater wanted players who get through more work and don't float in and out of games like Fifita can.