Maroons

Walters is a selector as well as a coach of the Maroons side and said in a statement that the "perception of my impartiality" was one of the reasons why he decided to remove himself from a club role.

Walters attended the launch of the 2018 Holden State of Origin Series in Melbourne on Tuesday where he said: "the level of interest at the media conference reinforced how privileged I am to be the head coach of a Maroons team which means so much to the people of Queensland."

aley is off contract at the end of this series and speculation is rife that the coach — who has been tormented by close losses to one of the greatest sides in rugby league history — is ready to walk away.

With just one series win — the 2014 cliffhanger — to hang his hat on, it’s possible, perhaps even likely, that Daley would not have his contract renewed by the NSWRL should his side fail at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday.

However, win and he will have a record of two series wins and three losses from five attempts, a commendable effort given the quality of the opposition.

When the Blues posted a record winning score against the Maroons in Game One it was Fifita who was crowned Man of the Match after a dominant performance that drew comparisons with Queensland's favourite front-rower Arthur Beetson, but the Maroons were much better prepared for Game Two.

In the lead-up to the clash in Sydney the likes of Coen Hess and Dylan Napa took turns emulating the bulk and running style of Fifita during training sessions but for Sunday's final opposed session the role of Fifita was played by 17-year-old Broncos under-20s prop Payne Haas.

Fifita, whose Game Two was noticeably quieter than his Game One pyrotechnics, also said he has no issue with the Maroons putting extra effort into keeping him quiet.

Their tactic of swamping him opened up chances for his fellow forwards and earned the Blues a couple of penalties – the only problem was how his team failed to manage the game in the second half, he said.

"Yeah I did feel it (them putting extra attention on me) to be honest," Fifita said after the game.

In just his second Origin appearance, Napa took it upon himself to rattle the Blues with a couple of telling shots on clubmates Mitchell Pearce and Boyd Cordner setting the tone early.

The 24-year-old firebrand finished the game with 119 metres and 30 tackles and emerged as the new leader of the pack with the representative futures of veterans Matt Scott (knee), Nate Myles (elbow) and Sam Thaiday (dropped) up in the air.  

"He was outstanding," Smith said after the game. 

Thurston, who will retire from Maroons duty after this year's matches with New South Wales Blues, missed his first Origin match since 2004 last month - the veteran sidelined through injury as Laurie Daley's side recorded a comprehensive victory in Brisbane.

However, the Australia playmaker was back for game two in Sydney on Wednesday and held his nerve to land a decisive kick in the 78th minute, after Dane Gagai's second try had enabled Queensland to cancel out a 10-point half-time deficit.

As they seek a third-straight Origin series win and an 11th in the past 12 years, the Maroons will be based in the heart of the Gold Coast at RACV Royal Pines Resort in 2017, just 50 kilometres from the Blues' new base at Kingscliff which was announced last month.

McKinnon was left a quadriplegic in March 2014 as a result of a tackle in an NRL match between the Newcastle Knights and Smith's Melbourne Storm.

The former Knights forward criticised Smith in a 60 Minutes interview for comments the Queenslander made on field, and also for an apparent lack of contact since the incident.

Smith was not granted a right of reply in the Channel Nine interview and had remained silent for a long period.

Gillmeister says Warriors backrower Jacob Lillyman - not Manly playmaker Daly Cherry-Evans - is likely to come into the interchange if bench utility Michael Morgan is promoted to start in place of injured halfback Cronk on Wednesday night in Sydney.

"But I would be very surprised if he (Cronk) didn't play," Gillmeister said on Sunday.

In a sign Gillmeister's bench call is on the money, Cherry-Evans did not feature in Sunday's training session after being sent back to NRL club Manly.

Boyd's 24th Origin appearance will be his first at his preferred position of fullback and he is fully aware of the importance of his role in the Maroons' quest to register a win in Game One of the 2016 Holden State of Origin Series.

As a youngster growing up on the Gold Coast Boyd would marvel at the way Darren Lockyer linked with his outside men and is using the presence of Slater in Maroons camp this week to nail the areas a fullback and his wingers need to get right in the Origin arena.