Brisbane Broncos head coach Michael Maguire was left confused over the ruling of star fullback Reece Walsh having to leave the field for a HIA.

The contact on Warriors prop Mitchell Barnett went mainly undetected by the common viewer, and wasn't awarded a Broncos penalty. However, an independent doctor ruled Walsh had to leave the field in the 63rd minute of his side's 42-12 loss at Magic Round.

Despite the game already slipping away from the Broncos, Walsh left the contest for 15 minutes and returned after passing his HIA. It was a disruptive moment for the Red Hill-based side, for contact that the Nine broadcasters didn't even pick up on.

"That was strange," Maguire said in his post-game press conference.

"I mean, how do you not get a penalty when you've got to go off? He got hit in the head.

"The game's put a lot of good things in place around that at the moment."

Maguire was also asked whether he would take it up with the head honchos at the NRL to provide some clarity on the call to have Walsh removed from the field.

"Yeah," Maguire responded.

The Broncos fixture fell on the eve of QLD Maroons Origin selection, where Walsh subsequently missed out on the squad.

The Maroons will opt for Kalyn Ponga in the fullback role, with Walsh's teammate Gehamat Shibasaki will be used as outside back depth on the six-man bench.

"If I was picking the team, I'd pick Reece," Maguire said, on the day before the official teams were announced.

"I'm obviously pretty fond of what he's capable of doing, and I get to see it every day.

"He's working hard, he's doing things in the background, and I think no matter what happens with Reece ... He knows he's got to keep working hard at his game, and if he does that then those opportunities will come about at the right time.

"He was up and about, ready to go, and if we'd done the things that we just spoke about – a bit of discipline and build a bit of pressure – then all of a sudden Reece could come alive in what he does. So we hurt ourselves today."

The Broncos, among six other teams, will have a bye next weekend.

Meanwhile, the QLD Maroons will undergo a 10-day camp before travelling to Sydney to face the NSW Blues on May 27.