‘Do you know why he paints his nails?’: Kevin Walters makes passionate Reece Walsh defence

Former Broncos coach Kevin Walters has doubled down on his strident defence of Brisbane ace Reece Walsh and one of his famous habits.

Former Broncos coach Kevin Walters has doubled down on his strident defence of Brisbane superstar Reece Walsh — reminding critics that the gun fullback paints his nails with his young daughter, not because he’s a “rockstar”.

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Walsh has been held up as the poster boy for what went wrong during Walters’ coaching reign, which ended last year amid claims that star players were allowed far too much latitude.

Walters said that he had learned early from iconic Broncos coach Wayne Bennett that players had to be given freedom to express their personalities, within some simple, non-negotiable team rules.

Speaking on his Inside Ball podcast, Walters again slammed claims that Walsh was indisciplined and ran riot under his guidance.

“This is what I’m talking about with Reece Walsh,” Walters said, ahead of Brisbane’s season-opener against the Roosters next Thursday.

Reece Walsh talking with Kevin Walters at Broncos training last year. Picture: Liam Kidston

“He has come up as a topic of discussion — but he is never late for training. Reece ties in with the group.

“Do you know why he paints his nails? His daughter wants to paint his nails and Reece does it.

“If Reece Walsh wants to paint his nails, and do his hair nicely and have the cool sunnies on, that’s not hurting the Broncos.

Reece Walsh with daughter Leila. Picture: Chloe Davis/NRL Imagery.

“Most clubs in Sydney, in fact every club, would want those players (like Walsh) on their roster.

“Wayne Bennett used to teach me about the standards he wants at the club. There were a few standouts - don’t be late, wear the right clothes and stay out of jail.

“It’s pretty simple to follow that. Don’t break team protocol and tie into team standards, which Reece does.

“He has never been late.”

Asked if he felt Brisbane players were “rockstars”, Walters said: “Never. That word was not part of vocabulary in my time there, it was all the outside noise.

“They are a team with some superstar players in there ... Reece Walsh, Pat Carrigan, Payne Haas, Kotoni Staggs, Selwyn Cobbo and Adam Reynolds, the captain.

“This is what I learnt from Wayne Bennett’s coaching: you have let them show their personality, as long as it’s not affecting the performance of the team.

“Now, Wendell Sailor (Broncos wing legend) started coming in late for training and all these things, this is when he was a kid, and Wayne managed him and he turned out to be one of the greatest players the Broncos ever produced.

“Wendell as an 18, 19 and 20-year-old, his time was Wendell’s time, not the team’s time.

“I know what’s right for the team and what’s wrong for the team and if guys paint their nails ... Wendell Sailor had 10 pairs of sunnies 20 years ago.”

Originally published as ‘Do you know why he paints his nails?’: Kevin Walters makes passionate Reece Walsh defence