Reece Walsh goes from ‘hero to zero’ in shock golden point loss

The undermanned Warriors took full advantage of a shocking Reece Walsh mistake to grab a massive upset on Saturday night.

A Luke Metcalf penalty goal from the halfway line has secured the Warriors a 20-18 win that Warren Smith described as “the most extraordinary golden point win we’ve seen for some time” over the Brisbane Broncos.

Prepared for another grinding 10-minute period, the Warriors were instead gifted a shot at glory when Reece Walsh’s kick-off sailed over the dead ball line to commence extra-time.

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Warriors halfback Metcalf had no hesitation signalling for the two points despite the half-field distance, with a howling breeze assisting the winning goal.

With it Walsh went from “hero to villain” as Michael Ennis put it in commentary, having scored the try that tied up the scores in the 73rd minute.

Luke Metcalf won the game for the Warriors. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Coincidentally, it was Metcalf’s horror goal kicking in the first 80 minutes that landed the Warriors in golden point, having only successfully kicked one conversion from five attempts in regulation time.

It was supposed to be a painless trip across the ditch for the Broncos. Instead, they were out-muscled and out-enthused by a depleted Warriors team in wet and wild conditions.

The Broncos were their own worst enemy throughout the defeat, their second straight loss, with poor playmaking choices from veteran halves Ben Hunt and Adam Reynolds punctuated by a cascade of errors and six restarts.

Reece Walsh (left) reacts after the Broncos’ agonising loss. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

What started out so promisingly for the Broncos, with a soft try to Billy Walters in the opening exchanges, ended in a late flurry that saw them equal the ledger into the final five minutes.

An opportunity in the final minute to kick a field goal from 20 metres out would be squandered by Hunt, who struggled to get a handle on the ball from dummy half.

Already missing veteran duo Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck to long-term injuries, the Warriors were given no chance during the week to get one over premiership heavyweights Brisbane once inspirational leaders James Fisher-Harris (pectoral) and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (concussion) were ruled out.

But they had other ideas and made the most of their opportunities albeit in unconventional measures.

Locked up at 6-apiece at halftime, the Warriors finally had a breakthrough in the 51st minute when a wayward Mitch Barnett offload was kicked off the ground by Taine Tuaupiki toward the corner, allowing Ed Kosi to score untouched.

Ten minutes later, a Hunt hospital ball for Gehamat Shibasaki resulted in an error that was picked up by pseudo centre Kurt Capewell, who would race 60 metres downfield and fling a wild offload back inside for Metcalf to extend the Warriors lead.

The wild Warriors ways have now allowed them to leapfrog the Broncos into the NRL’s top four.

A one-man Capewell welcoming committee looked like ending Walsh’s night very early after a shorter kick-off led to the Broncos’ custodian being laid out on the first play of the game.

There were fears for the immediate health of Walsh, who made his debut for the Warriors back in 2021, when he pulled up lame chasing a kick on the ensuing set.

While a clearly hampered Walsh managed to see out the 81 minutes, he did so with a heavily strapped knee and periods spent on the wing which restricted him to 50 metres.

However, it was his error to kick start golden point that would prove to be the biggest mark against his name by game’s end.

Originally published as Reece Walsh goes from ‘hero to zero’ in shock golden point loss