Daly Cherry-Evans has accused NSW Blues coach Brad Fittler of recycling old material in a desperate attempt to get inside the head of Queensland Maroons debutant Reece Walsh ahead of Sunday’s Origin blockbuster.
Walsh will wear the No.1 jumper for the Maroons despite having played just seven NRL games for the New Zealand Warriors.
Only Ben Ikin, who made his Origin debut after just four first-grade games, has entered the interstate cauldron with less experience.
The 18-year-old is also the fourth youngest debutant behind Ikin, Fittler and Brett Dallas.
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Speaking on Nine News on Thursday, Fittler referenced Cherry-Evans’ calls for a gentleman’s agreement before Game 1 and appeared to accuse Walsh of diving and milking penalties during his young career.
“One thing he will be coming to grips with is that this is another level," Fittler said.
"Hopefully he has read DCE’s gentleman’s agreement.
"He is playing with the big boys now, and that’s the way it should be played in Origin."
Asked if he plans to address Fittler’s comments with his rookie full-back, Cherry-Evans played down the comments and suggested the coach may need some new material.
“I wouldn’t think he’d be reading too much into that,” Cherry-Evans said of Walsh.
“Brad tried to throw some similar chat at me a couple of years back when I came back into Origin and it’s just all part of the games.
“Reece Walsh is a fantastic player, he needs to make sure that he has full belief in himself and his team-mates have full belief in him, and that’s all that matters.”
Cherry-Evans added: “It’s all part of the theatre of Origin right, the whole media game, people getting attacked, players getting attacked.
“I’m sure we’re doing it to them, I’m not well aware of the situation of what anyone’s said to Reece to be honest but I’m sure we’re saying stuff to them through the media and they’re throwing the same stuff back.
“It’s just all part of it, it’s all part of the build-up and hopefully it makes for a good game on Sunday.”
The Maroons are staring down the barrel of a third series loss in four years following their 50-6 capitulation in Game 1.
“It hasn’t started off the way we planned to and wer’e going to have to do it the hard way but my belief hasn’t wavered,” Cherry-Evans said.
“We’ve got a big ask for us this Sunday because I guess they’ve got the shield right in front of them, they feel it’s right there but the motivation to win this series is still really, really high.”
