Origin’s annual fall guys stood tallest. So what next at the selection table?

May 29, 2026 — 5:00am

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

For once, the hype was right.

In the modern media marathon that is a 10-day Origin build-up, no one drew more attention, analysed ad nauseam, than respective state No.7s Nathan Cleary and Sam Walker.

Referee Ashley Klein still influenced the Blues’ 22-20 nail-biting win more than anyone else – not with set restarts and ruck officiating, but with one of the biggest calls in Origin history when he sent off Kalyn Ponga.

Ethan Strange went from cameo to starring role when, 36 hours out from kick-off, he was parachuted into a pressure-cooker debut, with all the hype that went with it, and turned in an outstanding maiden outing in a sky-blue jersey.

Alongside him, Cleary was outplayed for more than an hour. Walker entered the Origin arena the same way he stepped into the NRL – as a pint-size wunderkind, eyed with relish by opponents twice his size.

Walker ran out onto Accor Stadium laughing, kept it up when he unfurled the game’s best short kicking game for Rob Toia’s opening try, then threw the last pass for Tom Flegler to score four minutes later.

With NSW repeatedly coughing up possession and Queensland playing the........

© The Sydney Morning Herald