Kev channels coach whisperer again, refuses to mention NSW or Latrell by name

It’s happening again.Queensland coach Kevin Walters famously banned mention of New South Wales or the Blues in the lead up to Origin I, and he’s backed the same tactic in preparation to steal the series in game two on Sunday.On advice from ‘the coach whisperer’, Walters has adopted an air of pure positivity, refusing to mention the opposition by name or speak of the team at all — at least publicly.In his first press conference for Queensland in the lead up to game two in Perth, Walters carefully dodged the taboo words, refusing to comment on the Blues’ selection drama and calling NSW ‘the other state’.Asked if he sleeps easier knowing Latrell Mitchell has not been picked for the Blues, Walters responded: “I sleep easier knowing this Queensland team that we’ve picked is a good side and it’ll be a great side. Our work this week will be all about fine-tuning some areas of our game that need to get better and will get better.”The unusual tactic was a distraction from the team itself for the media in the lead up to game one and the mind tricks appeared to work as Queensland took out the series opener at Suncorp Stadium almost a fortnight ago.Onto a winning thing, Walters has doubled down on the radical mind games.“I can just sense the moment with 65,000 people there, how exciting it’s going to be for our players and that’ll lift them to another level with the support that they will engage, just being out there. It’s going to be a wonderful experience for them,” he said in response to questions about the surface of Optus Stadium.