NRL 2021: Reece Walsh stars as Warriors defeat Wests Tigers 30-26
Warriors coach Nathan Brown said the NRL’s clampdown on foul play is freeing up the likes of teen star Reece Walsh to flourish without fear of being taken out.
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Thuggery is out and skill is in.
Warriors coach Nathan Brown believes the NRL’s clampdown on foul play is allowing the likes of teen whiz Reece Walsh to flourish without the fear of having their heads knocked off.
Walsh destroyed the Wests Tigers on Friday night, scoring one try and setting up three others in the Warriors’ vital 30-26 win at Central Coast Stadium.
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Brown had planned to use the exciting 18-year-old off the bench until skipper and fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck offered to give up the fullback position and switch to the wing to accommodate Walsh.
It was that approach from RTS – along with a tougher stance on illegal acts – that convinced Brown to take the punt.
“When the ‘horseman’ (ARLC chairman Peter V’landys) changed all the rules, what he’s done is enabled these little players to get into the game and actually play footy and not get hit in the back late like what was happening for 10 years,” Brown said.
“(We don’t have) people getting their heads torn off and people diving at people’s knees. We’ve got these kids who can play footy. Your heart’s in your mouth sometimes but you’ve just got to let them go.”
Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire, who doubles as coach of New Zealand, watched Walsh’s performance with a mix of delight and anguish.
“We knew what he was capable of and I think everyone can see how special he will be,” he said. “He’s a Kiwi player too, which is always handy. He’s a talent.”
It was a try to winger Marcelo Montoya from a sublime Walsh around-the-corner pass seven minutes from time that ultimately sealed the Warriors’ first win in three weeks.
Incredibly, the Kiwi side’s final two tries came when they were down to 12 men after Eliesa Katoa was sent to the sin bin for a professional foul.
It was another hot and cold display from the Tigers, the joint venture club leading 10-4 early and 20-18 midway through the second half.
Shifting Tuivasa-Sheck to the right wing to accommodate Walsh at the back appeared a big risk by Brown, but it took just 40 minutes to confirm it was the safest of bets.
“The credit needs to go to Roger Tuivasa-Sheck for coming to me and saying ‘we want to put the kid in the team and I’ll happily go to the wing’,” Brown said.
“I’ve been quite protective of the young bloke and if it wasn’t for Roger he (Walsh) would have come off the bench tonight. But it was pretty clear they wanted him out there and he did pretty well. Reece has got a skill set a lot of 18-year-olds don’t have.”
Walsh overcame a shaky start – allowing a grubber to get under his guard for the Tigers’ first try – before turning it on.
He set up two first-half tries with beautiful cut-out passes before scoring a tremendous individual try just before the break. He backed it up with his freakish pass for Montoya’s try and then put his body on the line to deny a late Tigers four-pointer.
“He’s killing it. The whole NRL should be excited,” Tuivasa-Sheck said of Walsh.
ANOTHER WILD RIDE
Life is never boring being a Wests Tigers fan.
Pleasure and pain is a big part of the deal – and you often get both inside 80 minutes.
Such was the case on the Central Coast as we were again presented with the Tigers’ many personalities.
There was some brilliant attacking football to start with, allowing the joint venture club to skip out to an early 10-0 lead. Then came the mistakes, defensive lapses and poor option taking.
The Warriors took full advantage to score 16 unanswered points, taking control of the game on the back of Walsh’s brilliance.
The Tigers worked their way back into the game and actually hit the lead midway through the second half. At that stage the Warriors were dealing with back-to-back sin-binnings but still managed to poke their noses in front.
The Tigers led three times and kept coming right until the end, but the task proved beyond them.
“Where do I start? I believe it’s a game we should have got and that’s what hurts,” coach Michael Maguire said. “We squandered opportunities and let in tries that shouldn’t have been let in. We’ve got to learn how to get those games. It’s been a challenge.”
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