The Mole: Reece Walsh shocker attributed to Origin team leak amid claims he 'didn't handle it'

Reece Walsh was the unfortunate victim of the annual leak circus surrounding State of Origin selection on Sunday.

Heading into a huge Magic Round clash with the Warriors, Walsh woke up to massive headlines that he was set to miss selection in the Queensland team.

The inevitable leaks "from informed sources" declared that Dolphins speed machine Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow had his nose in front of Walsh in the battle for the fullback spot - and that the Broncos star needed to play a blinder to change Billy Slater's mind.

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The news clearly played on Walsh's mind all day and it appeared that he attempted to try too hard before a packed house at Suncorp Stadium.

Walsh has shown in the past that when he pushes things, he can be his own worst enemy, and such was the case again in the 42-12 loss to the Wahs.

Walsh made four errors and gave away two penalties - one for dissent - as he saw his beloved Queensland No.1 jumper slip away.

Would things had been any different without the leak?

We will never know but it certainly put massive pressure on the game's pin-up boy ... and he didn't handle it well.

Munster's ominous message to Blues

Cam Munster fired a shot over NSW's bows with a five-star display in the Storm's 34-8 defeat of the Eels on Saturday night.

Munster has played well below his best form for most of 2026 but with Origin coming up, he gave his finest performance in a long time.

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Clearly motivated with the Storm and Maroons both needing him, Munster was a man on a mission and the Eels couldn't contain him.

He scored a try, had a hand in several others and also got under the Eels players' skins with his trash talk.

Parra struggled in all aspects of play - their attack was scrappy and in defence, they had 43 missed tackles to leave coach Jason Ryles with plenty of problems to sort out.

Gagai is not done yet

Dane Gagai turns 36 in a few months and is still without a contract for next season.

But if any NRL club recruitment managers cared to watch his display for the Knights against the Titans on Sunday, they should be seriously considering having a chat with the veteran centre.

Gagai scored a superb solo try, had a hand in a couple of others and was very classy in a mistake-riddled game.

The former Queensland Origin centre has always been a great trainer, had relatively few injuries and is a fine role model.

The new Perth franchise - short on class and experience - could do a lot worse than giving Gagai 12 months.

Luai's PNG bombshell has rocked the Tigers

When Jarome Luai signed the richest deal in league history three weeks ago, he vowed it would not affect his performances for the Tigers over the next 15 months.

But perhaps someone should have asked his teammates how it would affect THEM.

After a great start to the season, the Tigers have been thumped 52-10, 44-16 and 46-18 in the three games since Luai's bombshell announcement.

Yes, they've been hit hard by injuries and the suspension to Api Koroisau, but the Tigers are still showing far less enthusiasm and confidence than before the Luai announcement.

We saw a similar situation with Daly Cherry-Evans at Manly last year, where players were clearly affected by the decision of their spiritual leader to move on.

Manly love nothing more than playing a team that won't tackle and their backline put on some superb tries.

Kieran Foran pulled another masterstroke, going with Clayton Faulalo at fullback ahead of several more experienced candidates.

Faulalo was as good as anyone on the field while the Tigers' limp defence looks like it played second-row colossus Haumole Olakau'atu straight into the NSW team.

Dolphins flying

The Dolphins seem to have finally realised that making the NRL finals is a marathon and not a sprint.

In their previous three seasons, the Phins charged out of the blocks, looked good things to play finals footy, then crashed and burned in July/August.

This season, they have done the opposite, beginning dreadfully with a 2-5 record in their first seven games before finding their true form and consistency.

The impressive 32-10 win over Souths on Friday night was their third on the trot and they look to be a team with finals footy written in their destiny after those three close misses in their inaugural seasons.

With Isaiya Katoa and Kodi Nikorima calling the shots in the halves, they create chances for arguably the fastest backline in the league, and the likes of Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Herbie Farnworth, Selwyn Cobbo and Jack Bostock are cashing in.

The pack is full of willing workers and they easily out-muscled the Rabbitohs up front to set the tone for the night.

Souths were punished early on for some sloppy defence and with Latrell Mitchell clearly not 100 per cent fit, had no answers to the Dolphins' pace and class.

'Embarrassing' Dogs ought to start planning for 2027

The Bulldogs need to face the reality that they have blown their chance to make the finals this season - and start planning for 2027 on the field.

Picking the same players who are letting the team down week in, week out is just digging the Dogs into a deeper and deeper hole.

It's time for Cameron Ciraldo to wield the axe. It was actually probably time three weeks ago.

The Bulldogs' spine is the second-worst in the league behind the Dragons and that is a major factor in their run of five straight defeats.

Fullback Connor Tracey has been terrible since re-signing and Bailey Hayward is simply not a hooker.

Both need to go and other players given a go to see if they can fix up the glaring deficiencies in both attack and defence.

The hot/cold Sharks humbled Canterbury 38-16 on Friday night, some of their tries coming with embarrassing ease.

The Dogs probably need to win 10 of their remaining 14 games to make the finals - on form they will be lucky to win four.

For a team that finished third last season, it's a stunning decline with no relief in sight.

While the Bulldogs' spine is z-grade, the Sharks' Will Kennedy, Nicho Hynes and Brayden Trindall are all superb attacking players who revelled against a stuttering defence to pile on the points.