How will Queensland replace Reece Walsh in Game 3?

Reece Walsh has officially been suspended by the NRL judiciary for three matches, leaving him out of Origin 3.

One of Queensland's best performers over the opening two games of the series, Walsh will now miss the dead rubber with the series already in the bag for Billy Slater's Maroons.

With Kalyn Ponga ruling himself out of the series before it had begun after being snubbed for Game 1, the Maroons now must find a new option at fullback.

And the clear-cut favourite is AJ Brimson.

There are two logical ways coach Slater and his selectors can play it for a game that will still mean plenty to Queensland - only seven teams in State of Origin history have managed a clean sweep of the series.

The first is to bring in a specialist fullback, of which there is only one real option given Ponga has ruled himself out.

The second is to make an adjustment to the way his winning team has run out in the first two games and bring in an already experienced Origin player.

Experience is everything in the Origin arena, and could yet entice Slater to go against what has quickly become the popular option with Walsh out.

And it's no small task to replace Walsh - he has been superb over the first two games for the Maroons, and holds the lead in Zero Tackle's Origin MVP race - a race he is also sitting near the top of in the regular competition.

RELATED: State of Origin MVP Game 2

That said, an experienced option could appeal to Slater.

The first of those is Cameron Munster, who did just this back in 2019, shifting to fullback for Game 3 when Kalyn Ponga was out injured.

The Maroons fell short in that decider by six points, but Munster was phenomenal in both attack and defence at the back, winding up with 185 metres and 7 tackle busts.

More recently, Munster played there at the back end of last year for the Melbourne Storm as the club attempted to replace the unreplaceable Ryan Papenhuyzen.

Munster was excellent in his time at the back and there is little doubt Slater could utilise the Storm star in the number one jumper.

That has only been added to by the re-emergence of Tom Dearden. He played Game 3 for the Maroons last year when Munster was out injured and did a superb job in a decider under pressure.

Dearden has been amongst this year's squad as 18th man in Game 1, and while his Cowboys were struggling, they have begun to improve, with Dearden handling himself well at both ends of the field.

That all said, Slater may not want to upset the spine any more than he has to, which leaves another two options in Valentine Holmes and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow.

Holmes has played in the number one jumper for Queensland previously, although his days playing that role may be numbered, particularly with how strong he has been in the centres.

Tabuai-Fidow though is a certified fullback, and has probably been the Dolphins' best player this season, scoring tries for fun and being a threat with the ball.

His speed and read on the game at both ends of the park, which has improved out of sight under the coaching of Wayne Bennett and Kristian Woolf, has also been a joy to watch.

Given he was all but an outcast at the Cowboys last year after struggling during the opening weeks of the season and then spending most of the time after his injury coming off the bench, his form this year has shown the Townsville-based side exactly what they lost when releasing him to move south.

So good was his form - which saw 14 tries in 13 games, to go with 156 metres per contest and 53 tackle breaks - Slater found a spot for him in the centres, axing veteran Dane Gagai (who is no chance of a return in Game 3 with injury).

Should one of the centres head to the back, the Maroons will need to find an option for the centres, which will be easier said than done given they have been well short on depth there in recent times.

That said, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow is the best option to move to the back given his form there, but also the fact he could challenge for that jumper in future seasons, and a run there in a dead rubber would be a great way to get him up to speed in playing the role within the Queensland system.

But for the same reason, it's why Slater simply must select AJ Brimson.

Brimson sat in the Queensland squad as 18th man for Game 2, but is overdue for another chance in the Origin arena.

It's not as if he doesn't have experience, playing Game 1 of the 2020 series under Wayne Bennett before suffering a Lisfranc injury that ended his campaign.

His form leading up to that selection, and the difference he makes every time he walks onto the field for the Titans, suggests he could well have featured in more Origins if not for a string of injury problems over the first portion of his career.

Former coach Justin Holbrook described him as the Titans' most important player, and to the club, as important as Tom Trbojevic or James Tedesco are to the Manly Sea Eagles and Sydney Roosters respectively.

Brimson, who can also play in the halves, is a genuine candidate to battle Walsh for the number one jumper in the coming years, but if not, once Ben Hunt hangs up the boots, he could be a long-time number 14 for the Maroons. He would not at all look out of place filling minutes at lock, hooker or in the centres.

That said, experience at this stage of his career in the Origin environment is crucial, and while that argument is made over Tabuai-Fidow wearing number one, he will still be in the side at centre, and likely will be almost undroppable for much of his career.

A Queensland team with both Brimson and Tabuai-Fidow in it is the way to go for Game 3, as it could be into the future.

Brimsons form has been strong again in 2023 with 7 try assists, 31 tackle breaks and a pair of tries from his 8 appearances to go with 129 metres per game, and he deserves the spot he should be named in next Monday for Game 3.