NRL 2022: Adam Reynolds injury update the boost Broncos need
Brisbane coach Kevin Walters could use some good news ahead of the must win clash against the Dragons, and that’s just what his star recruit Adam Reynolds has provided.
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The struggling Broncos have received a huge boost with star halfback Adam Reynolds set to be passed fit for next Saturday’s crucial last-round clash against the Dragons in Sydney.
News Corp understands Reynolds has told Broncos hierarchy he wants to run out against the Red V and has recovered mentally from the head knock he suffered in last Thursday’s heavy 53-6 loss to the Eels at Suncorp Stadium.
Reynolds’ 250th-game celebrations ended in tears when he lasted just 13 minutes after his head slammed into the hip of Broncos teammate Jordan Pereira and he failed a HIA test.
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But with a nine-day turnaround for the Dragons clash, Reynolds is privately confident he will lead the Broncos onto Kogarah’s Netstrata Jubilee Stadium in a desperate bid to keep Brisbane’s finals hopes alive.
Under NRL rules, there is no mandatory stand down period on concussions. However, Reynolds will require clearance from an independent specialist because his head knock was within an 11-day timeframe.
Broncos coach Kevin Walters will be sweating on the green light from medicos.
Brisbane’s marquee off-season recruit, Reynolds has been in magnificent touch for the majority of the season and played a key role in keeping the Broncos in the top eight for 14 consecutive weeks.
Rocked by dismal defeats to Melbourne and Parramatta, the Broncos would have been at long odds of beating the Dragons without Reynolds, but the champion No.7 believes he will pass concussion tests.
Reynolds’ Broncos teammate Corey Oates said Brisbane players would be gutted if they crashed out of finals contention after looking a top-four chance just five weeks ago.
“It would be heart-breaking to miss the finals,” he said.
“We have done so much good work during the year and now we have made it hard for ourselves, that’s all I can put it down to.
“We need to bring what we have for 80 per cent of this year, we need some heart and character and put in performances that we know we can produce.
“We have to put everything on the line against the Dragons because to be honest, it could be it.
“If we squeeze into the finals, great, but we just have to have a dig next week and defend well. Don’t let them score. Tackle. Run hard. Hold the ball. Good end-of-set kicks. Just compete for 80 minutes against the Dragons - that’s all we can do.”
Should Reynolds fail a medical test, the Broncos have a number of playmaking options. Tyson Gamble and Albert Kelly are available for selection, while fullback Te Maire Martin has extensive halves experience.
Walters urged his troops to cut out the silly errors that threaten to derail their finals push.
“Our discipline is an issue,” he said.
“It’s a concern. We are aware of what’s going on, but being aware of it and stopping it are different things.
“The mistakes we are making we weren’t making a month ago. We have lost momentum and we have to get it back against the Dragons.”
KEVVIE’S DESPERATE PLEA TO BROKEN BRONCOS
“Show some f***ing heart”.
They are the four words that formed the centrepiece of Kevin Walters’ savage spray to Broncos players as he appealed for his shattered group to save their season against the Dragons on Saturday week.
Veteran winger Corey Oates says Broncos players deserved to hear some home truths after Walters delivered the biggest verbal uppercut of his career in the wake of Brisbane’s woeful 53-6 loss to the Eels at Suncorp Stadium.
A furious Walters tore strips off a Broncos playing squad that has conceded 113 points in the past two games, putting their finals campaign in jeopardy ahead of a final-round showdown with the Dragons at Kogarah.
Brisbane players were summoned to a snap training session on Friday morning as punishment for their Parramatta mauling.
The Broncos will finish the weekend ninth if Canberra beat Manly at home on Saturday and Oates revealed the contents of Walters’ fiery address in a last-ditch bid to prevent Brisbane bombing out of the finals.
“What ‘Kevvie’ said is the truth, that’s all it is,” Oates said.
“He was truthful.
“He said, ‘Have some heart, have some fight, have some belief. Don’t throw away all the hard work we have done’.
“That was it. There was just a lot more anger and other words behind what he said.
“He is passionate and that’s what we need as a group, we need to be passionate and for this to mean something.
“The Broncos mean a lot to Kevvie. We all know that. Everyone here is hurting. We need to take it to training next week. It honestly hurts. It’s not a good feeling, but we have to take this anger into the game next week.”
Former Queensland Origin legend Paul Vautin, covering the game for Channel 9, was stunned by Brisbane’s capitulation and believes they cannot recover in time to beat the 10th-placed Dragons.
“Kevvie was going off (in the sheds) ... the Broncos are broken,” Vautin said.
“I’m not saying there was give-up in them, but they are awful at the moment.
“I can’t see them possibly beating the Dragons down there next week.”
Compounding Brisbane’s pain, Walters could be without four players with skipper Adam Reynolds and Kobe Hetherington (concussion), Brenko Lee (hamstring) and Tom Flegler (throat) in doubt for the Dragons clash.
Walters is sweating on Reynolds — his chief shot-caller — passing concussion protocols next week to face the Red V, while ironman lock Pat Carrigan will return from suspension.
“Tom Flegler was taken to hospital with some breathing difficulties after copping a knock to the throat during the first half,” Broncos high-performance chief Dave Ballard said.
“He was monitored and then allowed to return home overnight — we will see how he recovers over the next few days before determining how he shapes up for next week’s game.
“Adam Reynolds and Kobe Hetherington both failed Head Injury Assessments and will now go through the standard protocol of further testing over the coming days which will determine if they will play next week.”
The Broncos have leaked a whopping 189 points in their last five matches at an average of 37.8 per game.
Queensland Origin winger Oates has been left stunned by Brisbane’s freefall after they were fourth just five weeks ago.
“It’s tough, but we have to come together as a team,” he said.
“We can’t look at the results this week. We need a few to go our way but we need to focus on putting in a good performance and that’s all we can do.
“Everyone wants to see a bit of heart and a bit of fight from us. It’s been a pretty tough few weeks for us, we’ve put up some pretty poor performances and it’s tough to accept.
“We have worked so hard all year and we can still make the finals.
“It’s a long season and a brutal game, but the best teams are the ones who lift at the end of the year and at the moment we are struggling in that area.
“We’ve faced two quality teams the past two weeks (Melbourne and Parramatta) and they have shown how much class they are above us at the moment.”
Originally published as NRL 2022: Adam Reynolds injury update the boost Broncos need
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