Reece Walsh is in doubt for Origin III after he was found guilty of lashing out at ref Chris Butler. -AAP Image
Brisbane and Queensland fullback Reece Walsh has been found guilty of contrary conduct for his profane outburst at referee Chris Butler in round 17 and appears set to miss the third State of Origin match.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
The two-man judiciary panel retired to consider Walsh's sentence at roughly 10.15pm, after a hearing that lasted two hours and 40 minutes on Tuesday night and a further hour to arrive at a decision.
The panel was unable to reach a unanimous verdict and judiciary chair Geoffrey Bellew provided a casting vote.
The panel was satisfied an obstruction penalty had led Walsh to yell "what the f*** do you mean, c***?" at Butler in the Broncos' loss to Gold Coast on Sunday and the comment was not directed at teammate Patrick Carrigan as the defence argued.
The NRL's counsel suggested a suspension of four matches, with Walsh's defence proposing a one-match ban.
Any suspension of more than a week would rule Walsh out of Origin III in Sydney on July 12, where the Maroons are hoping to seal a rare series whitewash.
Dolphins flyer Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Gold Coast's AJ Brimson would be the leading contenders to replace him at the back of the park.
Walsh's predecessor Kalyn Ponga has already ruled himself out of the Origin series to focus on club duties with Newcastle.
