EXCLUSIVE: Billy Slater in awe of 'influential' Kalyn Ponga as pressure mounts on Reece Walsh

The battle to play fullback for Queensland in this year's State of Origin series has kicked into gear, with the form of Kalyn Ponga putting pressure on Reece Walsh.

Newcastle's marquee man has been on fire in the first two weeks of the season, taking an early lead on the Dally M leaderboard and steering his side to back-to-back wins.

Ponga played off the bench in last year's Origin decider, but has started to put selectors on notice with a red-hot start to the season with the Knights.

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The 26-year-old played a starring role in the side's win over the Dolphins in round two while his main rival for the Maroons fullback spot struggled against the Raiders.

While there will be no secrets given away from Billy Slater, his comments after Ponga's most recent display may give an early insight into which way he is leaning.

"He was so impressive, 10 out of 10 to be honest," the Queensland coach said on Nine's The Billy Slater Podcast on Monday.

"I was there at McDonald Jones Stadium watching Kalyn destroy the Dolphins.

"He is so influential in that football team and it's not a one-off. This was all of last year and the year before, he is so influential in his football side.

"They have won their opening two games of the season and it's off the back of Kalyn.

"Kalyn is the spark, he's the creator, he's doing a lot more kicking at the moment and he's controlling the attack. He's just got so much freedom and they are playing a really good style that gets him the football in good situations.

"He was brilliant … so influential, both with the footy and making try-saving tackles."

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Ponga's representative career has been stop-start since making his Origin debut almost seven years ago, with injuries and concussions hindering his chances of selection.

Walsh was enormous for the Maroons in his debut 2023 series, but failed to have the same impact last year against NSW in the 2-1 series defeat.

The speedster had some nice moments in round one for Brisbane, but had an error-riddled night against Canberra on Saturday.

Ponga and Walsh won't come head-to-head until round 25, making that battle irrelevant in the context of Origin selection.