NRL 2022: Reece Walsh opens up on return to Broncos, battle for fullback jersey
There is a view Reece Walsh is a ‘rockstar’ too cocky for his own good. But now back home, the kid says he wants to prove he’s so much more by making the Broncos fullback spot his own.
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Reece Walsh says he is up for the fight for the Brisbane No.1 jumper, outlining his mission to help the Broncos snap a 17-year premiership drought and bring back the club’s glory days.
In his first interview as a Bronco, Walsh opened up about the pressure of being Brisbane’s marquee recruit, his decision to quit the Warriors and why he will leave no stone unturned in his quest to be one of the NRL’s superstars.
Walsh dropped a bombshell on Brisbane just 18 months ago when the Broncos Academy young gun suddenly quit the club to sign a $1.3 million, three-year deal with the Warriors.
Now, having secured a release from the Warriors on compassionate grounds, Walsh is back on familiar terrain at Red Hill, tasked with spearheading Brisbane’s finals revenge mission next year after their collapse to finish ninth this season.
“I’ve always loved the Broncos. It feels like home again,” said Walsh, who launched his 2023 pre-season last Monday.
“It feels like I’ve never left.”
STAR RECRUIT
Despite his tender years — he celebrates his 21st birthday next July — Walsh is a key piece in Brisbane’s premiership-winning puzzle.
Since first joining Brisbane’s Academy as a 14-year-old, the Broncos believed Walsh was a future superstar of the sport and they are banking on his flair and attacking instincts to be the X-factor in their title assault next season.
The 20-year-old has had a bittersweet 18 months in the NRL. He produced some sizzling performances in his rookie season in 2021, even unseating Warriors skipper Roger Tuivasa-Sheck at fullback, but he endured a mixed campaign this year as opponents began to work out his game.
Walsh returns to Red Hill as an NRL target. He isn’t fazed one bit.
“I wouldn’t say it’s pressure in my eyes,” he says of being Brisbane’s big off-season signing.
“Wearing the Broncos jumper again … it’s a good opportunity to test myself and I can’t wait for what lies ahead.
“My first year in the NRL (at the Warriors) was pretty awesome, I didn’t think I would have that much of an impact. But this year I learnt the NRL is hard and it can get harder as you play more games.
“A lot of teams strategised around me and had game plans to shut me down.
“I probably didn’t have as many flashy moments this year, but I believe I improved. My effort areas were better and it was a good growth year for myself.
“I have worked hard on the professional side of the game and I definitely think I’m coming back to the Broncos as a mentally stronger player.”
FULLBACK FEUD
The fullback position is one of Brisbane’s most contentious spots heading into the 2023 premiership.
Three players are locked in a battle for the No.1 jumper — Walsh, Tesi Niu and British Test star Herbie Farnworth, who excelled at centre last season but has told coach Kevin Walters he wants to make the conversion to fullback.
Then there’s Queensland Origin wing sensation Selwyn Cobbo, Brisbane’s version of Latrell Mitchell who had stints at fullback this year.
Walsh is the $1.01 favourite to start round one at fullback, but the 38-game NRL rookie is not in cruise control and wants a bumper pre-season to earn the No.1 jumper on his merits.
“I’m not complacent at all,” he said.
“There is a massive battle here for the fullback spot, 100 per cent.
“There’s Tesi here and Herbie wants a crack at fullback as well.
“Coming back to the club, it excited me to get that fullback spot, but I know I have healthy competition and that’s a good thing.
“’Kevvie’ (coach Walters) hasn’t given me any guarantees at all. He has said will go with the best option at fullback so the pressure is on me to make sure I’m that bloke and I’ll be working hard towards that.”
REALITY CHECK
With his vibrant personality and debonair style, there is a view Walsh is a “rockstar” who is too cocky for his own good.
But the former Australian Schoolboys star says he has matured on and off the field over the past 12 months and wants to develop into a leader at the Broncos.
“I’m not like that at all,” Walsh said.
“I consider myself a normal person and I know my family don’t treat me like that.
“People will have their opinions of me, but if you know me well, I’m a down-to-earth bloke and I just want to be a good dad to my young daughter.
“However long I go in my career, I want to give some younger players coming through some good advice and be a good role model.”
SHOCK RETURN
Walsh insists he was not disloyal to the Warriors. It was the birth of his baby daughter, Leila, last year that was a decisive factor in Walsh’s eventual return to Red Hill.
With Walsh facing the prospect of a full-time move to New Zealand, and leaving his daughter behind, the Queensland Origin hopeful brokered a release with the Warriors for family reasons.
Walsh was linked with the Dolphins, but says he never considered defecting to the Broncos’ new expansion rivals.
“My daughter wasn’t going to make the trip to New Zealand and I just couldn’t handle the thought of being away from her, being in another country,” Walsh said.
“I heard the Dolphins were keen, but the Warriors made it pretty simple for me. They only allowed me to talk to the Broncos and that was fine by me because I love the club and have some good mates there.
“When I sat down and had a chat with Simon Scanlan (Broncos recruitment chief), who I’ve known for years from the Academy, I knew it was the right move.”
THE COACH
There were suggestions Walsh fell out with Walters when he initially quit the Broncos, but the fullback flyer accepts the Brisbane coach was trying to protect him from blooding him too soon in the NRL.
“Looking back, it was a maturity thing for me,” he said. “I didn’t really see what Kevvie was trying to do, but I now understand he was trying to look after me and protect me playing NRL at such a young age.
“Kevvie came to the club (as coach) at a time when a lot of young guys were thrown into first grade and they were getting embarrassed every week. Kev didn’t want to put me in that position.
“He wanted me to bide my time and help my development. I didn’t get it at the time. I wanted to play NRL straight away, but everything happens for a reason.
“It hasn’t affected my relationship with Kev. We have had a good laugh about things and we can have some honest conversations.
“If anything it has made our relationship stronger and I’ll be playing for him this year.”
THE FUTURE
Walsh was four years old when Brisbane last won a premiership in 2006. He has no living memory of a Broncos premiership and wants that to change, driven by Brisbane’s near-miss in their 2015 grand-final loss to the Cowboys.
“I’m hungry to be the best I can be. I want to be one of the best in the comp one day,” he said.
“I grew up watching the Broncos and I remember the 2015 grand final, I was pretty young back then but I watched every single game of that season and I remember how close they came to winning it.
“I would love to help the Broncos win a premiership one day.
“While we have a lot of work to do, I know we have the roster to make the finals this year and everyone here is trying to get the best out of each other.
“If I can get a premiership ring and make the Broncos a force again, I would love for my daughter to see that.
“The boys got a taste last year and we’re hungry to play finals next season.”
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