DCE hopes Walters stays on as Qld coach

While Cameron Munster wasn't so sure, captain Daly Cherry-Evans hopes Kevin Walters will stay on as Queensland coach and lead a Maroons revival. Walters was quick to shut down speculation that NSW's 26-20 State of Origin series-clinching win would be his last with the Maroons reins.  "I'll be back next year," he said. But speculation won't go away that Walters is set to relinquish his Maroons job and head for the NRL, taking over from besieged Gold Coast Titans coach Garth Brennan next year. Walters even back-tracked in the post-match Origin press conference when pressed on what he would do if offered the Titans gig. "I don't want to talk about that now. I want to talk about this great Queensland team and how proud I am of them," he said. Maroons fullback Munster admitted Walters may be lost to the NRL with reports former Queensland mentor Wayne Bennett has already put his hand up to take over the Origin job next year. "I am fairly sure he dreams of being an NRL coach," Munster said of Walters. "Whatever he decides to do it's his decision and I will back him 100 per cent. "Kevvie has done so much for this Queensland side and state, I really respect him. "But if he decides to stay I am very confident that this group can bounce back."

DCE admits Qld "lapse" cost them chance

They say State of Origin is about moments. And Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans admits the Maroons botched a big one with a play-the-ball "lapse" before NSW sealed a series-clinching 26-20 win. Cherry-Evans confirmed he was ready to cap another trademark Queensland comeback by kicking a series-deciding field goal in the dying moments of Origin III on Wednesday night. After fighting back from 12 points down to level at 20-all, the stage was set for Cherry-Evans to be the hero in his debut series as captain after centre Moses Mbye's run put them in field goal position. But inexplicably Mbye was slow to play the ball - and Cherry-Evans said their moment was quickly lost. "I was definitely thinking it (field goal). We got into field position for it," Cherry-Evans said. "The referee called time off but there was a bit of a slow play the ball there so my mindset was after that there was too much pressure (for a field goal), just put it in the corner and look at golden point. "Rugby league can be a cruel game. After 79 minutes of focus we just had one lapse for one minute. "Origin is made up of many moments. Unfortunately NSW had more bigger moments than us." 

Daly Cherry-Evans will captain Queensland for the first time on Wednesday

There was once a firm belief - among media and the public - that certain people within Queensland Rugby League couldn’t quite cop Daly Cherry-Evans.He was, anecdotally at the very least, shunned from the Maroons for some time.Now it’s his team.So, what sort of State of Origin captain will DCE be?But Cherry-Evans does truly believe what separates the great Origin captains from the rest is exactly that - winning.Wally Lewis. Darren Lockyer. Cameron Smith.These are the footsteps Cherry-Evans now walks in and there’s one thing all those rugby league legends have in common.“The names you’ve just mentioned are probably so great because they won. They are winners. They were winners and when they played at Origin level they were successful,” he says.They are some of the greatest players to ever lace up a boot but their time is over.It’s Cherry time.