Queensland prop Jarrod Wallace insists he’s ready to become the Maroons’ pack leader should enforcer Dylan Napa be ruled out with injury for State of Origin III.
Napa could be the third Queensland player to be sidelined for the dead rubber in Brisbane after suffering a knee injury playing for the Sydney Roosters on Friday.
He’s likely to be included named in a Maroons squad on Monday morning that will be without skipper Greg Inglis (thumb) and young star Kalyn Ponga (hamstring) for the July 11 clash.
The injuries forced the Queensland Rugby League to delay their announcement from Sunday night but Wallace is willing to embrace a bigger role should he retain his spot as expected.
“I just want to get in, do my job, do my role for the team,” Wallace told AAP.
“If that means playing more minutes … that’s definitely what I want anyway. You want more minutes. Obviously last two games I’ve been pretty limited to 30 minutes.
“So hopefully I can get more minutes, if I get picked in game three, and hopefully do the best I can.”
Wallace was criticised for his efforts in the first two games of the series but the Gold Coast front-rower is adamant he won’t be deterred by the commentary.
There were suggestions the 26-year-old could have lost his spot for the final clash but Maroons coach Kevin Walters is likely to throw him another chance.
He hit back with an impressive outing for the Titans in their win over the Wests Tigers on Sunday, carrying the ball for 177m and busting four tackles.
Wallace conceded he had been asked to play a different role for his state than his club, where he’s playing extensive minutes as one of the Titans’ best players.
“It’s a bit more (for the Titans) but we’re playing with the best of the best (for the Maroons),” he said.
“Everyone’s getting their carries, everyone’s doing what we need to do, game plans are different and I just get in and do my job and if I can get the ball, I make sure I do it with full intensity.”