Queensland Maroons coach Wayne Bennett queries NSW halves changes

“They did that last year. You have to ask them those questions. It’s not what you really want, because you have such a short preparation and everyone is a bit new to each other,” Bennett said.

“If they felt they had to to it, they had to do it. The point I’m making is it’s not always what you want. Sometimes it makes a difference.”

Walker was unceremoniously dropped after the 2019 opener and now reunites with his halfback from that game, Nathan Cleary. Bennett is an unabashed fan of Walker and expects him to pose a constant danger with his creativity and ability to slice through the line.

But in Su’A and Gagai, Bennett might just have the ideal reply to Walker’s talents, with the Rabbitohs pair knowing his game inside out and Su’A having trained against him in field sessions time and again.

“He’s quite a handful. I love him as a player, great player to coach. We’ll need to be on our game. But Su’A has trained against him for nearly two years now and Gags has been there that long as well,” Bennett said.

“They both know him pretty well and they both play on the same side he’ll probably be coming down. But he’ll challenge them, he’s a very good player. I think he’ll appreciate the opportunity and make the best of it.”

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Winning at ANZ Stadium hasn’t been easy for the Maroons over the years, with NSW winning 18 out of the 28 matches played there since 1999, as well as one draw. Bennett said he couldn’t care less about the record in Sydney and it hadn’t been discussed in camp.

“We haven’t mentioned it. I don’t think they even realise they are getting on a plane tomorrow,” Bennett said. “We haven’t talked about it. I’ve got no idea. I don’t struggle down there, I don’t know why they’d struggle.

“Five of six of them just played in a grand final there and four of them were in the winning team. They don’t struggle.”

Bennett also left open the possibly of returning to coaching the Maroons next season when the series inevitably shifts back to its regular winter timeslot. He said he had coached a club team and a state team many times before and didn’t see why he couldn’t do it again.

“It won’t become any clearer, regardless of what happens in this series, until I see what next year is looking like,” Bennett said of his Origin future. “I did it seven times before, so I don’t know what has changed.”

The supercoach has also found a kindred spirit in the Queensland camp in the form of rookie forward Moeaki Fotuaika, who will make his debut from the interchange ranks on Wednesday night.

“He doesn’t talk much,” Bennett said. “I like him.”