By Nick Wright
The antics and jaw-dropping brilliance of Reece Walsh’s career all came together in the NRL’s most intense Sunday afternoon of the year.
There was composed brilliance, emotional boilovers and utter magic littered throughout one of the great rugby league contests, as the Brisbane Broncos closed out a 29-28 qualifying final thriller against the Canberra Raiders.
“He puts his name in the media a lot for sometimes not the right things, but he obviously feeds off it,” Broncos’ five-eighth Billy Walters told Brisbane radio station B105 the following morning.
Reece Walsh celebrating Sunday’s win.Credit: Getty Images
“He’s shown this year that he can pretty much put us on his back and take us all the way.”
Here are the nine minutes that mattered most.
3rd minute: Walsh the halfback sets up Staggs
Walsh looked ominous from the outset, and his newfound desire to inject himself at first receiver was on show.
Raiders hooker Tom Starling was pinned for an incorrect play-the-ball to give Brisbane attacking field position, with Walsh bouncing to the left of the ruck and holding up his pass with a double-pump for Kotoni Staggs to score the first try.
7th minute: Kicking boots come on
The Raiders had responded strongly after conceding, and were beginning to pin the Broncos deep in their own end and gain the ascendancy in the territory battle.
That was when Walsh stood up to get his side out of trouble, opting to kick on fourth tackle as he went down the blindside to produce a 40/20.
The Broncos would be denied a try as Gehamat Shibasaki was pinned for an obstruction, but the ploy kept Canberra at bay.
52nd minute: Moment of madness as tension boils over
Brisbane had been imploding before this moment, as their ill-discipline cost them try-scoring opportunities.
Tension boiled over following a Jaiyden Hunt knock-on with the Broncos on the attack, as Walsh took exception to antagonism from Raiders’ firebrand Hudson Young.
The Queensland wunderkind was charged with striking for a headbutt on his rival, with an early guilty plea resulting in a $3000 fine, and the pair were sent to the sin bin.
“They were going at Walshy all game, right from the kick-off they were chirping at him and trying to get under his skin and throw him off his game,” Broncos halfback Ben Hunt told 4BC.
“It’s what Hudson was chasing – he got a bite out of him. It was probably silly from Reece, but I can also understand that they were just at him.”
Canberra were left perplexed as to why Young was given marching orders after referee Ashley Klein determined the Raider had instigated the melee.
“The ref said he got in his face, I said, ‘you’re allowed to celebrate a play … if I were to celebrate and someone punched me, am I in the wrong for celebrating?’” Raiders skipper Joe Tapine said.
66th minute: Individual brilliance triggers fightback hope
Broncos captain Pat Carrigan, who joined Walsh in the sin bin after his shoulder connected with Morgan Smithies’ head, told his star No.1 to take the game on once he returned to the field.
And didn’t he do just that, throwing a dummy and slicing through the line before evading fellow speedster Kaeo Weekes to score.
Carrigan, however, was issued a grade two careless high tackle charge. An early guilty plea will rule him out of the preliminary final, while if the Broncos fight the judiciary and lose he will be suspended for two games.
“He’s got no previous loading for the previous two years,” Hunt said. “If they do charge him, I think we’ll be up for trying to fight it and get him on the field.”
70th minute: Pinpoint pass builds Canberra pressure
Once again, Walsh’s instinct reaped rewards, as he screamed for it down the left-hand side and fired a pinpoint cutout pass for Josiah Karapani to cross in the corner.
72nd minute: Booming boot sets up grandstand finish
From 16 points down to within two points just six minutes later, and Walsh was once again the mastermind.
A booming 40/20 – although in this case, it was more a 30/10 – got Brisbane on the front foot.
Moments later, the ball shifted wide and Walters delayed his pass to put Shibasaki over.
77th minute: How close can a man go?
Walsh’s long-range two-point field goal attempt from roughly 42 metres out looked destined to go over the posts, only for the ball to drop and hit the crossbar.
The Broncos did not chase the attempt strongly enough and the Raiders came up with possession.
80th minute: Raiders heartbroken as Broncos thrown a lifeline
Walsh went for a second two-point field goal attempt, but the kick was charged down by Zac Hosking.
But while the Raiders celebrated, replays showed the Canberra forward making contact with Walsh’s leg, and Brisbane instead received a penalty from 10 metres out in front of the posts.
Walsh nailed the shot at goal to force extra time.
94th minute: The ecstasy, the turnaround and decoy ploy
For the second time, Canberra celebrated, after Jamal Fogarty dived over to score what was believed to be the match-winner.
But The Bunker identified the faintest of touches from Raiders winger Jed Stuart in the kick contest, delivering Brisbane one final reprieve. That was the only opening they needed.
While the moment was Hunt’s to saviour, nailing a brilliant 38-metre field goal, the veteran halfback said post-game the heat being applied to Walsh convinced him to take the shot.
The attention on Walsh proved the distraction to give Hunt time to steady himself and seal the dramatic win.
“I’m honestly still lost for words, I’m on a cloud this morning,” Hunt said on Monday.
“To be down 28-12 with 11 players on the field, and to come back and give ourselves a chance ... it’s absolutely bizarre – one of the wildest games I’ve ever been a part of.”
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