Wallace back in Brisbane for Origin II
NSW halfback Peter Wallace came of age as an NRL player at Suncorp Stadium and he now hopes the venue will host his ascension into Origin stardom.
To say Wallace has enjoyed playing at the famous venue would be an understatement.
He first showed his promise as one of the game's up-and-coming playmakers when he booted a 40 metre golden point field goal to lift Penrith over Brisbane in their round three clash at Suncorp Stadium last season.
It was that performance which caught the eye of Broncos scouts and led to him signing a three-year deal to head north of the border.
Fast-forward to round one 2008 and again Suncorp Stadium was the stage, Penrith v Brisbane the platform.
Wallace, this time in a Broncos jumper, again stole the show as he sparked a superb 48-12 win, his performance even overshadowing the return from injury of Test skipper Darren Lockyer.
Now, having made a spectacular Origin debut in game one, Wallace returns `home', but he isn't expecting a friendly reception.
"I suppose I've had a few memories there and it's my home ground now so there'll hopefully be a few more," Wallace said.
"It's just one of those places that you enjoy playing at. The crowd's always pretty big and it'll be sold out on Wednesday night and it's just got such a good feel about it ... it's one of the best stadiums in the world.
"It'll be a little bit different them booing rather than cheering, but either way, whether they're cheering for you or against you, it creates a pretty good atmosphere in which to play.
"It gets you going whenever you play in front of a big crowd."
With chargedown specialist Steve Price back in the Queensland line-up, Wallace is expecting a tougher time than he experienced on debut.
Not that you could tell if Wallace was feeling anxious about it all, the Melbourne-born 22-year-old earning a reputation amongst his teammates as somewhat of a `cool cat'.
After being dropped to Premier League by Penrith coach Matt Elliott last year after his decision to sign with the Broncos, he looks at Origin as a bonus.
"Yeah, I'm still pinching myself playing Origin, it's still pretty hard to believe," he said.
"Twelve months ago I was still playing reserve grade, it's a bit crazy.
"It's not that I feel like I'm under pressure, I just want to perform.
"The only thing different about my approach for this game is that I know what to expect going into the game.
"There was a jumper up for grabs going into that first game and I was just lucky I got a crack at it I suppose.
"Now I just want to hold onto it, but in saying that one bad game and it could all be taken away from you."
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