The Queensland Maroons have an outside backs problem heading into the 2026 State of Origin series.
Three of the regulars are virtually unpickable.
North Queensland Cowboys Murray Taulagi suffered his second concussion in three weeks on the weekend and is set to be sidelined for at least a month as he works through a return to play from that.
Xavier Coates is yet to play this year, and while his return was expected either this week or next originally, the Melbourne Storm provided a medical update on Tuesday afternoon that said otherwise.
In it, the club said he is about to return to full running and should be back playing "within a month".
That though comes with teams for State of Origin selection to be announced after just three more rounds of footy.
It means Coates won't play a game before teams are named for the series opener, and his first game in anger for 2026 would be just that - the opener of the most fierce rugby league series on the planet.
It would be an extraordinary, bordering on silly, risk from Billy Slater if he were to pick Coates.
Beyond the injured duo not being available, coach Slater also has another problem.
Valentine Holmes is in potentially career-worst form for the Dragons, certainly in defence. He missed a staggering ten tackles against the Rabbitohs in Round 7, and with the Dragons slumping to zero and eight on Anzac Day against the Roosters as they let in 62 points, a switch of sides improved his game a little bit, but not much.
He is virtually unpickable, and it means the Maroons will be looking at a very new-look back five for the series opener, to be played in Sydney on May 27.
We know that Reece Walsh is likely going to be the fullback ahead of Kalyn Ponga (who returns from injury this week and, without any other issues, should feature on Queensland's six-man bench).
We also know that Tom Dearden will feature in the halves, likely alongside Cameron Munster (at least for the series opener) despite his awful form at the also struggling Melbourne Storm, who have lost six straight as of the end of Round 8.
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow will also be in the back five somewhere, whether that be on the wing or at centre, and Robert Toia, who made his Origin debut last year after just ten first-grade games, has done nothing to lose his spot in the centres.
That leaves two spots up for grabs, and a mighty headache for Billy Slater, who has proven time and time again while in the Origin hot seat that he has no issues making left-field selections.
Just look at his move to play both Toia and train and trialist Gehamat Shibasaki last year.
Shibasaki will be in the mix again this year, but his form has been on a roller-coaster at the Broncos, even being dropped by coach Michael Maguire at one point.
His selection is certainly up in the air for 2026.
What probably isn't up in the air is that all the injuries and form issues will see boom youngster Jaxon Purdue become the next Cowboy to don the Maroon.
At just 20 years of age, he already has 40 NRL games to his credit and has gone to another level at both ends of the park this year.
While he had an ill-fated stint in the halves last year, and all the talk is that he is now the Cowboys' next fullback with Scott Drinkwater to leave at the end of the year, his best position right now is in the centres.
He, like Tabuai-Fidow, could also play on the wing if need be.
That leaves one spot, and with Shibasaki seemingly unlikely to retain his spot, Queensland may well go back to the well with Selwyn Cobbo.
The former Bronco has Origin runs on the board, and while his form wasn't worthy of selection last year, he has turned a corner since leaving the Brisbane Broncos for the Dolphins this year, and has been excellent on the edge.
Whether that's enough to convince Slater he should be in line for a recall or not remains to be seen.
There are other options for coach Slater.
He could look at a veteran like Dane Gagai who seemingly has never played a bad game for Queensland, or AJ Brimson, who is playing centre on a full-time basis for the Titans in 2026.
The English representative, eligible for Queensland again under the NRL's new Tier 1 rule, could also be named on Slater's bench given his talent and versatility.
Phillip Sami is both a centre and a winger and has been in tremendous form for the Titans, while his Queensland teammate Jojo Fifita is another option.
But that's about the end of the list of options for coach Slater, unless he pulls another rabbit out of the hat, so to speak.
For what it's worth, this is how we have Queensland's back five as it stands for Game 1:
1. Reece Walsh
2. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
3. Jaxon Purdue
4. Robert Toia
5. Selwyn Cobbo
