NRL 2021: Knights defeat Warriors in lowest scoring game of the season

It was an ugly slog that produced the lowest score of the season and a Knights victory – but the game was enough for an NRL star to back his protege for an Origin debut.

NEWCASTLE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 19: David Klemmer of the Knights in action during the round 15 NRL match between the Newcastle Knights and the New Zealand Warriors at McDonald Jones Stadium, on June 19, 2021, in Newcastle, Australia. (Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)

There’s an old adage in sport that if you’re good enough then you’re old enough.

In the next 24 hours, we’ll find out if Paul Green believes in that saying when he decides whether to hand 18-year-old Reece Walsh an Origin debut after just seven games in the NRL.

Whether it’s in his best interests to be thrown into the lion’s den after the Maroons were hammered in the State of Origin series opener remains to be seen, but Walsh did his chances no harm with a brave showing as Brodie Jones scored with four minutes left to snatch victory for the Knights in appalling conditions.

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Reece Walsh warms up before producing a dyanmic game against the Knights. Picture: Ashley Feder/Getty Images

The teenager defied the wind to take a couple of brutal bombs, narrowly missed a 40/20, flew through the air to fall agonisingly short of a try and nailed a sideline conversion in cyclonic conditions with his first attempt in the NRL.

Origin games often come down to moments of brilliance, and Walsh showed he’s more than capable of sparking those when he won an aerial contest and then raced 68 metres, only to be chopped down short of the line.

What about this for courage from young Reece Walsh?

Followed by a spectacular run… and an incredible last-ditch effort from Brailey!

Top-notch Rugby League.#NRLKnightsWarriorspic.twitter.com/8lxFbdFsE8

— Nikolai Pajarillo (@nikopajarillo) June 19, 2021

However, he dropped a ball off a scrum in the third minute, couldn’t handle a swirling bomb, bobbled another nightmare kick into touch and missed two field goals as the Warriors’ main man showed he can be ruffled under pressure.

Phil Gould and other prominent voices say he’s far too young to be picked for the Suncorp Stadium showdown next Sunday, but with Kalyn Ponga injured and AJ Brimson in doubt, he may be Queensland’s best chance to level the series.

“It’s got to be a bit difficult,” Nathan Brown said of Walsh’s week in the headlines.

“A lot of people have given opinions on Reece that haven’t been where he’s been. Six weeks ago, no one knew him. I’m not on social media, but I believe he had 2000 followers when he first came to us. Now he’s got about 140,000 and he’s gone from nothing to being a star.

“A lot of people giving opinions on Reece, when they played, their career slowly went ahead and they weren’t playing at 18.

“These are the blokes who were the best players in the past, but their careers didn’t start until they were 19, 20 and 21. Slowly over time they got some fame, whereas Reece has gone from 0-150 in a six-week block, so it’s got to be difficult for any young kid at 18.

“He’s a good young kid and he doesn’t get carried away with himself, but I’m sure he’ll look at some things from this week and think whether he could have done things differently.”

RTS: I’D BACK REECE FOR ORIGIN

Warriors skipper Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has such a high opinion of Walsh that he believes the 18-year-old should be named when the Maroons pick their team for Game Two at Suncorp Stadium.

The teen sensation is only in the NRL after Tuivasa-Sheck told coach Brown that he’d move to the wing to accommodate Walsh at fullback, and the rugby-bound superstar’s view has not changed after a handful of games at the top level.

Opinion is divided on whether it’s fair to pick an 18-year-old after seven games in the NRL. His skipper believes he has the talent to handle the actual game, but concedes it’s a big ask for Walsh to have to deal with the week-long circus leading into the Suncorp showdown.

All this talk about Queensland picking Reece Walsh for Origin 2. Did everyone forget that Paul Green is the Maroons coach? Walsh is at least 15 years too young to get a start. #QLDER

— Slatts (@trentslatts) June 17, 2021

“For me, I’m so keen and such a big fan that I just say throw him in and see what he’s got. If he handles it then he handles it, but if not, he takes the lessons,” Tuivasa-Sheck said after Walsh was made unavailable to the media.

“He’s a kid and he’s exciting, and he’s got a lot in him. We’ve been throwing a lot at him and testing him for his debut and playing against the best players and the best halves.

“Probably when he gets in there, he’d play the game like it’s a game, but the pressure and the hype beforehand is what could be too much for him.”

Walsh came up with several errors trying to defuse bombs in cyclonic conditions, but he ran for a team-high 171 metres and overcame a knee injury to ask plenty of questions in attack.

“He had a lot of good and bad things, which is what you expect from a kid,” Tuivasa-Sheck said, adding he was proud of how Walsh responded after making a mistake.

If Reece Walsh can handle the wind in Newcastle today then get him in the Origin team. It is so windy that I got blown from the salad shop straight into Maccas where I sampled the new BTS meal and the snack-sized octuple cheeseburger. Awful conditions for a fullback and my gut

— Martin Gabor (@MartinJGabor) June 19, 2021

“But this is a good chance to learn because this was his first big game in this type of weather, so he’ll learn that he needs to do a few things better.

“I told him to keep backing himself and told him to keep going after the ball instead of leaving it. If he goes after it and makes a decision then he can learn off the decision, whereas a lot of people tend to not do anything and just let it happen so they don’t learn anything because they didn’t do anything.

“That’s the type of kid he is. He’s exciting and you have to keep testing him. When we were behind, I approached him and asked what our play was when we thought we’d get the scrum back.

“He’s always keen to keep trying, so if he continues to do that then he’ll keep learning from his lessons.”

Daniel Saifiti bursts through the Warriors defence. Picture: Ashley Feder/Getty Images

O CAPTAIN MY CAPTAINS

Knights players should jump on a table to thank their middle men for what they did on Saturday afternoon. In abysmal conditions, it was up to the tough hombres up front to deliver, and they did so in spades.

Co-captain Daniel Saifiti was immense, churning through 143 minutes from 16 carries in an unchanged first-half stint, while his twin Jacob made 85 metres and David Klemmer added 109 off the bench in the first 40.

Newcastle’s other captain wasn’t as effective with ball in hand, but his efforts were just as important as Jayden Brailey somehow chased down Walsh, and almost did the same when he tried to reel in Euan Aitken for the Warriors’ first try.

“He’s worth his weight in gold,” Adam O’Brien said of his hooker.

REVOLVING DOOR

The Knights welcomed back Mitchell Pearce from a pec injury and he showed why he’s such an important piece of the puzzle as he laid on their first try and helped straighten their attack in the lowest-scoring game of the season.

But as has been the case all season, the Knights could lose a number of players to injury and suspension as they battle to stay in touch with the top eight.

Already without Kalyn Ponga and Bradman Best, the Knights lost Kurt Mann to an ankle injury, while try-scorer Lachlan Fitzgibbon was placed on report and sent to the sin bin for a high shot on Kodi Nikorima who was barely a foot off the ground.

“It’s the trend of the weekend,” O’Brien said of the sin bin.

O’Brien is confident Ponga will be fit to return for his side’s next match so long as he gets through training.

Ponga has endured an injury-riddled season that has limited him to just five matches, with his last game coming in the Round 9 win over the Raiders.

The phenomenal fullback was expected to return for the Maroons in Game Two next week but was ruled out by Newcastle after he failed to achieve the training intensity and volume required to play against the Warriors on Saturday.

Groin injuries are notoriously difficult to overcome, but the early mail is that he is on track to take on his former side the Cowboys in Round 16 in what would be a huge boost for a Knights team that is fighting for a place in the eight.

“He’s got a pretty thorough training program to get through this week,” O’Brien said.

“If he does that then I’m really confident that he’ll play in the next game.”

KNIGHTS 10

Tries: Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Brodie Jones

Goals: Jake Clifford 1/3

WARRIORS 6

Tries: Euan Aitken

Goals: Reece Walsh 1/1

Crowd: 9,975 at McDonald Jones Stadium

Referees: Chris Butler