‘Do you know why he paints his nails?’ Kevin Walters reveals the true Reece Walsh
A fed-up Kevin Walters has moved to expel the negative perceptions surrounding Reece Walsh, with the former Broncos coach firing back at critics who have blasted Brisbane’s purported “rockstar” culture.
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Kevin Walters has launched a passionate defence of superstar fullback Reece Walsh and hit back at critics who have blasted the Broncos’ purported “rockstar” culture.
As Walsh and Brisbane’s stars prepare to launch their 2025 revenge mission, Walters rubbished suggestions the Broncos fullback isn’t a team player amid criticism of the squad’s true desire to win the premiership.
Former Brisbane coach Walters has come under attack himself since taking on a Fox Sports commentating role in the wake of his departure from the Broncos following last season’s 12th-placed freefall.
Walters has copped brickbats for not implementing a stricter code of conduct and seemingly allowing rising stars such as Walsh and Ezra Mam to walk to the beat of their own drum at Red Hill.
Walsh is under immense pressure to deliver this season, not only because of last year’s below-par output marred by injuries and concussion, but by virtue of the club record $4.4 million extension he inked last October.
New Broncos coach Michael Maguire has lauded Walsh’s pre-season application and Walters is sick and tired of the perception the 22-year-old isn’t putting in 100 per cent.
Walsh came under fire last season for turning up to Broncos training with painted nails, fuelling sentiments the Queensland Origin ace revels in his NRL rockstar status.
“This is what I’m talking about with Reece Walsh,” Walters said of criticism of the Broncos fullback ahead of Brisbane’s premiership opener against the Roosters on Thursday week.
“He has come up as a topic of discussion (on Fox Sports during the NRL trials) - 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.
“Most clubs in Sydney, in fact every club, would want those players (like Walsh) on their roster.
“Wayne Bennett (former Broncos coach) 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.”
Walters slammed suggestions he failed to be more disciplined with Broncos stars and allowed a culture of arrogance to fester.
“Every decision I made at the Broncos was in the best interest of the Broncos,” he said on his Inside Ball podcast.
Asked if he felt Brisbane players are rock stars, Walters fired: “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.”
The Broncos are tipped to be the breakout improvers of 2025, with bookmakers installing Brisbane as third favourites to win the title behind Melbourne and Penrith following a recent betting plunge.
Having steered Brisbane to 12th last season, 12 months after presiding over a fairytale grand-final charge, Walters is mindful of the pressure on Maguire’s class of 2025. Brisbane’s annual stated objective is a top-four finish.
“I know as much about the Broncos culture as anyone,” said Walters, who won five premierships as a player at Brisbane.
“The Broncos are a big club and they have always had the superstars in their club from 1988, when they had nine Origin players in the squad.
“Wally Lewis was the captain and the biggest player in the game. He was the Queensland captain and the Australian captain and he was leading the Broncos, so right from day one, the Broncos have had the best players continually at their club.
“If you haven’t played at the Broncos or trained there, you don’t understand the culture of the place. It’s very unique.
“The guys play in front of 45,000-50,000 crowds ... no-one in Sydney plays (before such big crowds) continuously.
“With that comes big expectation. The fan base is enormous, go and see them at training every day.
“They are a big club with superstar players, there’s no denying that, but as long as those superstar players tie into the team and club’s standards, no problem.”
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