Peter Wallace was 24 hours away from ending an eight year State of Origin drought, but his Blues dream has been shattered.
Scans tomorrow are likely to rule the 31-year-old out of Blues contention after he suffered a groin injury during Penrith’s 30-20 win over Newcastle today.
Wallace left the field during the first half and failed to return.
It was widely expected that Wallace would be named in the number 9 jersey for NSW by Blues coach Laurie Daley tomorrow night. He last played Origin in 2009.
Panthers coach Anthony Griffin confirmed that Wallace would have scans tomorrow to determine the extent of the injury.
Meanwhile, Bryce Cartwright will also be assessed tomorrow after coming off early in the second half with a knee injury.
For the second week in a row the Panthers piled on 30 second half points after being down at half-time, winning back to back games for the first time this season.
Griffin admitted the come-from-behind wins were not ideal.
“There is no easy way to win a game but we need to find a better way and the team we’ve got at the moment is learning how to win,” he said.
Troy Dodds
Troy Dodds is the Weekender's Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia's leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.