Michael Maguire challenges Broncos to play smarter after Warriors win 20-18
Michael Maguire has challenged Brisbane to play smarter, with Reece Walsh under an injury cloud after the Warriors broke the Broncos’ hearts in golden point.
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Broncos coach Michael Maguire has challenged his side to get smarter as his superstar fullback Reece Walsh races the clock to be fit for Thursday night’s blockbuster against the Bulldogs.
Maguire confirmed Walsh suffered a knee injury and will undergo scans upon Brisbane’s return to Australia following the Broncos’ 20-18 golden-point loss to the Warriors on Saturday night.
Walsh had a disastrous night in Auckland, tweaking his knee in the second minute and managing just seven runs for 50 metres as he bravely played through the pain barrier at Go Media Stadium.
Walsh could be ruled out of Brisbane’s round 8 clash against the unbeaten Dogs at Suncorp Stadium and his Queensland selection hopes for Origin I on May 28 will hinge on the results of scans.
“He has done something to his knee,” Maguire said of Walsh’s setback.
“It was a real credit to him to fight through the game.
“There is something there that we need to have a look at.
“We need to get a scan around that, he fought through the whole game with that issue.
“We will have to wait and see whether or not he is right to play again over the next couple of weeks.”
Walsh’s injury - and golden-point kick-off gaffe - rubbed salt into the wounds of a Broncos side that crashed to a second consecutive loss to finish the Easter weekend with a 4-3 record.
This was a carbon copy of Brisbane’s 26-16 loss to the Roosters last week.
The Broncos were once again beaten to the punch in midfield by an energetic Warriors side, completed poorly at 77 per cent and were hammered 10-4 in the penalty count.
Maguire lashed Brisbane’s ill-discipline and concedes the Broncos need to lift against a red-hot Canterbury side that is punishing rivals with their ‘Dogs of War’ steel in defence.
“The first half, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves through discipline and errors. We need to be smarter there,” he said.
“We can control how we go about our game. We defended well for a long period of time in the first half, there was a lot of effort, but we just need to be smarter in what we are doing.
“We aren’t quite jelling in that department and that’s something we need to work at.”
Trailing 18-6, the Broncos charged home with two tries in the final 15 minutes to set-up golden point, but Maguire rued Brisbane’s poor control as Luke Metcalf drove home a winning 50-metre penalty goal.
“We had an opportunity there at the back end of the game,” he said.
“We were set up for field goals and we have to be smarter in that space.
“The Warriors are a high completing team, they have been doing that well and we had to match that. We didn’t quite match that and that puts pressure on ourselves.
“We had a chance to take that game, but we need to be better in the areas I just spoke about.”
METCALF NAILS FREAK PENALTY AS WALSH ERROR HANDS WAHS THE WIN
Reece Walsh’s Origin spot is under threat with the Broncos superstar suffering an injury scare – and a golden-point gaffe – as Brisbane crashed to a crushing 20-18 loss to the Warriors on Saturday night.
On a night of high drama in New Zealand, a shocking Walsh kick-off blunder laid the platform for Warriors hero Luke Metcalf to land a winning 50-metre penalty goal to break Brisbane’s hearts in extra-time.
Trailing 18-6, the Broncos seemed to have conjured a great escape when two tries in seven minutes to Jesse Arthars (68th) and Walsh (75th) levelled scores and sent the contest at Go Media Stadium to golden point.
But Walsh went from hero to zero, sensationally kicking out on the full from the extra-time restart, enabling Metcalf to step up and plunge the dagger as Brisbane slumped to back-to-back defeats.
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WALSH’S WOES
With Origin around the corner, Walsh needed a blinder to stave off Kalyn Ponga. Instead, it was another night of turbulence for the superstar Broncos fullback.
In his first game on New Zealand soil against his former club, Walsh felt pain – literally – from the second minute, pulling up lame clutching at his lower right leg as he chased a Warriors clearing kick.
Walsh never got out of first gear and that summed up the collective performance of a Broncos side that was outmuscled and outhustled for the second straight week after last week’s 26-16 loss to the Roosters.
Both sides were sloppy in the first half. But the Warriors played with more desire in the wet after the break to overcome a 6-0 deficit and hold their nerve in extra-time to consign the Broncos to a teetering 4-3 start.Walsh is set to have scans and Queensland coach Billy Slater faces a nervous wait after losing hooker Harry Grant to a hamstring injury.
“Walsh is nowhere near 100 per cent,” Fox Sports commentator Michael Ennis said.
“Another big storyline, on the eve of Origin, Reece Walsh is struggling with a knee injury.”
SIXES AND SEVENS
Broncos five-eighth Ben Hunt had such a shocker he was moved to hooker and while his halves partner Adam Reynolds wasn’t at his best, the skipper produced some crucial late plays.
Reynolds landed a booming sideline conversion from an Arthars 68th-minute try to keep Brisbane alive at 18-12 and it was his grubber that led to the Walsh four-pointer that levelled scores at 18-all five minutes from time.
But overall, Brisbane’s halves were mediocre. They need to lift against the ladder-leading Bulldogs next Thursday night at Suncorp Stadium.
MADGE’S MIGRAINE
Broncos coach Michael Maguire needs to find cohesion with his starting pack. Suspensions have decimated his back row and Maguire made a late change, pitchforking prop Xavier Willison from the bench to the second row to provide some dynamic running on Brisbane’s left edge.
Willison had promising moments but once again, the Broncos struggled to exert authority in midfield. The Warriors shifted gears after the break. Their energy lifted after winger Edward Kosi gave the hosts a 10-6 lead in the 52nd minute.
Brisbane enforcers Payne Haas (198m) and Pat Carrigan (188m) were tireless, but the Broncos ball control (77pc completion) was costly.
PAIX UNDER PRESSURE
Maguire pulled a second selection switch by demoting hooker Cory Paix and his starting replacement, Billy Walters, turned up the heat in the battle for the No.9 jumper.
Walters made a statement with the first significant play of the game, unlocking the Warriors with a clever dummy-half snipe to open the scoring in the fourth minute.
Maguire has warned no-one can take their jumper for granted at the Broncos. Paix has started the season solidly, but Walters’ elevation is evidence Maguire is still searching for the blue-chip rake to get Brisbane rolling at the ruck.
CAPED CRUSADER
While Broncos centre Kotoni Staggs (175m) was magnificent, his rival Kurt Capewell came back to haunt his former club.
Playing at centre, Capewell smashed Walsh early and produced a crucial 61st minute bust to set-up Metcalf’s try to give the Warriors a whiff of Broncos blood at 18-6.
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