Dylan Edwards has remained at the top of the pyramid of fullbacks for close to a decade, only being rivalled by the likes of Sydney Roosters captain James Tedesco.
However, with ‘Teddy' reaching the backend of his career, the Penrith Panthers star was expected to carry the torch into the next decade.
Enter Reece Walsh.
The Brisbane Broncos 2025 Clive Churchill medallist reached an on-field peak in this year's final series that arguably no footballer ever has, and it's set to pay further dividends.
According to the Daily Telegraph, incoming Australia coach Kevin Walters will reportedly brush the incumbent Kangaroos fullback in Edwards, in favour of the Broncos superstar.
While Walters hasn't publicly announced how his first Test side will shape out, national selector Darren Lockyer hinted that Walsh will likely get the nod ahead of Edwards.
"It's up to Kevvie, he will pick his 17 or 18, but Kevvie had a great experience with Reece at the Broncos so he's a bit of a fan,” Lockyer said.
"It was an incredible performance [from Walsh] on Grand Final night.
“We've seen Reece Walsh do some amazing things but we have never, ever, seen him put on a performance like that.”
Lockyer admitted that while Edwards is the incumbent No. 1 for Australia, Walsh's recent form is too strong to ignore.
"Dylan is the incumbent and [Australia] won last year,” he said.
“It will come down to Kev but given his history with Reece, I think Walsh would be hard to leave out."
Kangaroos skipper and Edwards' club teammate Isaiah Yeo labelled Walsh's Grand Final performance as “incredible,” further strengthening the hopeful Kangaroo fullback's case.
Kevvie needs to give Walsh a run. If he doesn’t he will have opprobrium heaped upon him. Better to give the kid a run now and drop him if he stuffs up, rather than have to deal with incessant clamour from the media.