Walters was blunt when he answered questions on his 17 - curiously named in alphabetical order rather than positions - saying a number of forwards simply weren't up to scratch in game one and changes had to be made.

Gone on that front are Sam Thaiday, Nate Myles, Jacob Lillyman and Aidan Guerra. From the backs, Corey Oates departs, five-eighth Anthony Milford has a dislocated shoulder and would not have played with Johnathan Thurston available and Justin O'Neill, who was on the wrong end of a vintage night from Blues ace Jarryd Hayne.

Billy Slater returns at fullback, pushing Darius Boyd to either the wing or centres, while Thurston shapes as a massive inclusion as he returns from injury to start at five-eighth outside Cooper Cronk.

Titans forward Jarrod Wallace has been named to debut despite facing a ban for a shoulder charge. Queensland are confident he can beat the charge and haven't named a back-up, although Guerra may be the player to get a reprieve.

Forwards Coen Hess and Melbourne's Tim Glasby will likely play from the bench, while Gavin Cooper returns to run off the hip of clubmate Thurston. Australian winger Valentine Holmes gets a much-deserved spot on the wing in place of Oates.

Walters said the famed Queensland loyalty policy remained but a number of those cut were at the end of their careers and the manner of the heavy defeat at Suncorp Stadium forced the hand of the selection panel.

"It's no secret we got beat up through the middle. Our forwards didn't aim up. So we made some changes there. We feel if our players can stand up in that area, we've got the class around them to get the game for Queensland. That wasn't the case in game one," Walters said.

"It was all part of our plan. If we didn't win game one, we were going to make changes. We afforded those players the opportunity to go out and represent Queensland in game one and we didn't get the right result."

Hess was picked despite suggesting he wasn't ready for the next step and his Cowboys coach Paul Green urging selectors to look elsewhere. But nobody at the QRL consulted Green - or Hess - before making the call.

They feel he adds some welcome aggression, size and youth to the squad and will thrive in the physical contest.

"I think Paul would prefer he wasn't in the side, so we didn't ask Greeny," Walters said. 

Oates was the hard-luck story but with Slater returning and Holmes continuing his quality run of form, he drew the short straw.

"He's played four very good games for Queensland. But we felt the time was right for Valentine Holmes. He's the current Australian winger, leaving him on the sidelines wasn't the right option for us for game two. He's a genuine flyer."

Glasby was the bolter but adds some bulk, is a quality middle defender and Walters loves players from the Storm system, a club he believes has the best defensive system in the NRL.

He said Thaiday, aged 33 and having played 29 games for Queensland, was naturally disappointed but knew the need for renewal in a side that spent much of game one taking three steps backwards to go one step forward.

"Sam was disappointed. But that was what the team needs. It was painful and Sam was bitterly disappointed but also he understands the position we were in," Walters said.

There will be some intrigue as to whether Boyd lines up at wing or in the centres. It may well be a mix of both, with Gagai returning kicks and Boyd chiming in to use his quality passing game if an overlap presents.

How Queensland will likely line up: Billy Slater, Darius Boyd, Will Chambers, Dane Gagai, Valentine Holmes, Johnathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk, Dylan Napa, Cameron Smith (c), Josh Papalii, Gavin Cooper, Matt Gillett, Josh McGuire. Interchange: Michael Morgan, Coen Hess, Jarrod Wallace, Tim Glasby.

EARLIER: Billy Slater and Johnathan Thurston are back, Coen Hess will be unleashed, Sam Thaiday and Corey Oates will be gone and Valentine Holmes will debut as part of a dramatic Maroons reshuffle to be announced on Monday afternoon in Brisbane.

Titan's prop Jarrod Wallace faces a ban for a shoulder charge but may still be named while the quest to add bulk will see Melbourne's Tim Glasby added to the squad to help even the contest through the middle, an area dominated by the Blues on game one.

The biggest name to go will be that of Thaiday. The 33-year-old has played 29 games for the Maroons but coach Kevin Walters will now look to fresher faces to add punch around the edges, including Hess, North Queensland's young bull that will find out whether he's ready for Origin in just over a week.

Oates was a workhorse for Queensland in the opener, scoring a try and almost being the exclusive kicking target of Mitchell Pearce. But with Slater back and forcing Darius Boyd elsewhere in the backline, the big winger will make way, while Justin O'Neill will be a predictable casualty after a difficult night in game one.

There will be the predictable cries of the Maroons 'eating their own' but most of those left out are veterans, such as Nate Myles and Jacob Lillyman, that have been fine servants for the cause over the years.

The manner of the NSW win in game one left the Queensland selection panel of Walters, Gene Miles and Darren Lockyer with little choice but to speed up their renewal process.

Gavin Cooper returns to the side and will benefit with his combination with Thurston, while the Melbourne combinations of Slater, Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk should be a weapon for the Maroons at ANZ Stadium as they try to force a decider in Brisbane.

At 188cm and 105kg, Glasby brings some size and could debut at age 28, while Hess has been an absolute monster at club level and has been selected despite Cowboys coach Paul Green questioning his readiness.

Likely Queensland team Billy Slater, Darius Boyd, Will Chambers, Dane Gagai, Valentine Holmes, Johnathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk, Dylan Napa, Cameron Smith (c), Josh Papalii, Gavin Cooper, Matt Gillett, Josh McGuire. Interchange: (four of) Michael Morgan, Coen Hess, Aidan Guerra, Jarrod Wallace, Tim Glasby.