No room for Cobbo as Queensland recall Brimson for Origin III

July 3, 2023 1:12 pm.by Wayne Heming

Titans star AJ Brimson has been named to replace the suspended Reece Walsh at fullback as the Maroons chase a 3-0 sweep of the 2023 State of Origin series.

A brilliant three-try audition by wing wizard Selwyn Cobbo at the weekend against the Dolphins has failed to secure him a recall to Queensland’s backline for game three in the State of Origin series against NSW in Sydney next week.

Maroons selectors made only two forced changes to cover for suspended fullback Reece Walsh and middle forward Tom Gilbert, who has undergone surgery to repair shoulder damage suffered in Queensland’s series-clinching win in Brisbane.

There were no major surprises in Billy Slater’s 17-man squad announced on Monday before the squad flew out on Monday afternoon to the north Queensland city of Cairns for a three-day minicamp.

Gold Coast Titans utility AJ Brimson has been handed his fourth Origin cap – and his second starting jumper – at fullback in place of whiz kid Walsh.

The new face will be Canberra’s roughhouse redhead forward Corey Horsburgh, who has been named on the bench but may yet be thrown into the Origin furnace in Sydney.

Horsburgh will be the only rookie named in the Maroons squad, with North Queensland’s Tom Dearden and Parramatta’s J’maine Hopgood named 18th and 19th men, respectively.

Hopwood will be released from camp to play for the Eels in the NRL next weekend.

Many expected Cobbo’s magical display against the Dolphins – which included a brilliant individual kick-chase try to break open the game – would have been enough to reclaim the Origin jumper he had in the Maroons’ 26-18 win in Adelaide in May.

His game stats were compelling with three tries, 160 metres, two line breaks, and six tackle busts against the Dolphins after a lethargic performance the weekend prior in the Brisbane Broncos’ loss to the Titans.

However, Slater and co-selectors Gene Miles and Darren Lockyer were more than happy to stick with the wing combination of Murray Taulagi and Xavier Coates from game two.

Next week in Sydney, the Maroons will be aiming to seal just the eighth 3-0 result in Origin history.

Queensland pulled off back-to-back 3-0 sweeps in 1988-89 and did it again in 1995 under Paul Vautin’s Neville Nobodys and 2010 with Mel Meninga as coach.

Four members of Queensland’s current setup have been involved in an Origin clean sweep, but none of them will be on the field in Sydney.

Billy Slater (31 games) and his coaching assistants Cameron Smith (42), Johnathan Thurston (37), and Nate Myles (32) all played in the 2010 series in which the Maroons swept the Blues 28-24, 34-6, and 23-18 during their eight-series streak from 2006-2013.

The Queenslanders will host a fan day at Barlow Park tomorrow, sign autographs, conduct a clinic and finish with a training session in the afternoon.