Australian Kangaroos head coach Kevin Walters has claimed Reece Walsh will remain the fullback for the end of year Rugby League World Cup.
Walsh was parachuted into the Australian side for last year's Ashes, and played well for the Kangaroos as part of a series win on the back of a spectacular finish to the year for the Brisbane Broncos.
The Brisbane fullback has had a difficult start to 2026 though, and has not been selected at fullback for Queensland in Billy Slater's side who are on the cusp of a fourth State of Origin series win in five years.
After missing Game 1, he was added to the extended bench for Game 2 and 3, but with Kalyn Ponga declaring for New Zealand, Walters still has Walsh as his number one for the World Cup, which Australia will be expected to win on home soil.
"We all know who the fullback is going to be," Walters said on the Inside Ball Podcast.
"Yeah, 100 per cent.
"He hasn't been bad, I mean, he is just in that Broncos side who are not playing with a lot of confidence at the moment.
"Same with Kotoni Staggs, I think he can have a big end of season after missing out on Origin [Game 3]."
Despite Ponga being unavailable, the early call on the out of sorts Walsh, with weeks to go in the season and with the form of NSW Blues fullback James Tedesco, Penrith Panthers star Dylan Edwards and the returning Manly Sea Eagles gun Tom Trbojevic or even Latrell Mitchell's replacement Jye Gray at the South Sydney Rabbitohs, will raise eyebrows.
The 23-year-old Walsh has scored five tries in 11 appearances this year to go with six try assists, but at 131 metres per game and with errors mounting, it has raised questions over his status in the game.
Walsh's capabilities need no introduction - his form during the final eight or so weeks of 2026 won the Broncos a premiership, but he hasn't had any say in arresting Brisbane's horror form slide this year which now sits at eight straight losses, with the defending premiers in grave danger of missing the finals.
Walters also confirmed during the podcast episode that Selwyn Cobbo would be picked if the side was selected today, while also agreeing that Jack Bostock and Max Plath at the Dolphins - who will be involved in the finals unless disaster strikes - are chances of making their debuts for the Kangaroos.
Walters, and other previous Australian coaches, have often gone for a squad made up heavily of players in the finals given their match fitness heading into the international fixtures.
For players who miss the finals, as Walsh may well do this year, it would mean they go into the World Cup having not played a competitive game for six weeks.
The squad for the World Cup - which Australia kick-off against New Zealand on October 15 in Sydney - will likely be picked the morning after the NRL grand final. Although a training squad will likely be revealed earlier alongside a PM's XIII made up of players whose club teams are already knocked out to play a game in Papua New Guinea.
Seems to be w-a-a-y premature to be making a call like that.