Kevin Walters’ warning as brilliant Reece Walsh sparks Broncos
Reece Walsh was again in super form as he sliced and diced the Titans with his speed and footwork — and his coach had a warning for his NRL rivals.
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Broncos coach Kevin Walters lauded the brilliance of Reece Walsh as the $1.3 million sensation helped haul Brisbane off the canvas to clinch the Titans derby.
The Broncos had to overcome another poor first-half start to bury the Titans 43-26 in a high-scoring affair at Cbus Super Stadium on Saturday night.
The victory maintained Brisbane’s place on top of the league with a 6-1 record, setting up a torrid run of games that begins with next Friday night’s road trip to face the Eels in Darwin.
Walsh, 20, was again at the centrepiece of Brisbane’s revival, scoring a crucial second-half try and slicing and dicing the Titans with his speed and footwork.
“He is always a good threat,” Walters said.
“He and Adam (Reynolds, halfback) have only had seven games together, Walshy is still understanding when to bring himself into the game.
“It’s pretty exciting where Reece is at in his career and he has a great mentor in Adam to help him in that space.”
While Walters lamented another insipid start by the Broncos — they trailed 14-6 after 32 minutes — the Broncos coach was pleased with his side’s ability to hold their nerve and finish off the Titans in the second half.
The turning point in the derby came just seconds before half-time, when Walsh charged down a Jayden Campbell chip-and-chase and Herbie Farnworth raced away to score to whittle the deficit to 14-10.
“Scoring points into half-time is really important. At half-time, the boys were quite positive,” Walters said.
“Our mentality shifted, we knew we were a better side than what we produced in the first half
“The Titans started well and they have been playing well, so our starts need to get better, but the pleasing thing is the way we fought back.”
The Titans must develop a more ruthless streak if Justin Holbrook’s troops hope to play finals football this season.
Gold Coast certainly have the roster to play finals.
What they need is discipline, mental toughness and the killer instinct to get there.
After the break, leading 14-10, Titans pivot Kieran Foran attempted a grubber in the 51st minute and watched as Jordan Riki swooped on the kick and raced 50 metres.
A few plays later, flying fullback Walsh crashed over for a 16-14 lead.
The Titans were staggering, and when skipper Tino Fa’asuamaleaui was sin-binned in the 62nd minute, they hit the canvas as Brisbane crossed three times in 14 minutes for a 30-14 lead.
Gold Coast’s forwards laid the platform for victory in the first half but until the Titans learn to turn the screws on teams, they will be NRL also-rans.
WALSH SPARKS BRONCOS TO SEND MAROONS MESSAGE
Reece Walsh submitted a sublime case for a Queensland Origin debut after the Broncos whizkid combined with partner-in-crime Ezra Mam to engineer a 43-26 caning of the Gold Coast at Cbus Super Stadium.
It was Super Saturday for the Broncos before a 26,563 sellout as their Big Three — Walsh, Mam and skipper Adam Reynolds — ensured Brisbane hit back quickly after last week’s shock loss to the Raiders.
Gold Coast came charging out of the blocks in the south-east Queensland derby and a Titanic boilover loomed when halfback Tanah Boyd put the boot into the Broncos for a 14-6 lead after 32 minutes.
But after a first-half siesta, the Broncos came alive with a second-half stitch-up, tearing the Titans apart with four tries in 16 minutes to seal top spot on the NRL ladder after seven rounds with a slick 6-1 record.
A Selwyn Cobbo runaway in the dying minutes clinched a seven-try cakewalk and set up a compelling road trip to face last year’s grand finalists Parramatta next Friday night in Darwin.
REECE LIGHTNING
On this evidence, Walsh only needs to stay fit to clinch his maiden Queensland jumper for the Origin opener next month.
With the game in the balance in the second half, the Broncos fullback recruit was sublime. It was Walsh’s crucial 51st-minute try which edged the Broncos ahead 16-14 before the 20-year-old phenom sliced through to put Mam over for a 36-14 lead 13 minutes from time.
Walsh finished with a try, six tackle busts, two line breaks and two try assists in another commanding backfield display which confirmed he is ready for an Origin baptism.
MAN OH MAM
After a quiet first half, Walsh’s attacking cohort Ezra Mam was outstanding in the second half.
While Reynolds applied the polish, underlined by his last-minute field goal, Mam provided the pizzazz, throwing a superb two-man cut-out for Jesse Arthars’ 56th-minute try before he backed up Walsh to put the Titans to bed.
DEMOLITION DAVE
Titans wrecking ball David Fifita sent a message to Queensland coach Billy Slater with another excellent display.
The Tongan torpedo was clearly fired up facing his former Broncos teammates and Fifita was one shining light as the Titans fell apart in the second half.
He was a constant menace on Gold Coast’s left edge, running with purpose and power to amass 143 metres, 33 tackles and four tackle busts.
But overall the Titans lost the plot in the second half, conceding 30 unanswered points at one stage to demonstrate why they will be also-rans unless they find a harder edge.
SLEEPY BRONCOS
The Broncos need to fix their dismal starts if they want to be a legitimate premiership contender.
Brisbane were beaten to the punch by Canberra last week and once again they were slow out of the blocks against a Titans team that scored first in the fifth minute via Phillip Sami and had no trouble rumbling through the midfield.
Brisbane completed at 63 per cent in the first half against the Raiders. This time, they were at 67 per cent in the opening 40, putting pressure on their defence as the Titans relished cheap metres to lead 14-10 at half-time.
The Broncos did well to hold their nerve and reel in the Titans, but they can’t rely on second-half surges to keep them on top of the league.
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