Reece Walsh hit with grade one shoulder charge offence, Jahrome Hughes breaks hand

Reece Walsh has escaped suspension despite the NRL’s Match Review Committee finding that he made illegal contact on Cowboys winger Murray Taulagi on Friday night.

The Broncos have received a boost with superstar fullback Reece Walsh cleared for the Battle of Brisbane against the Dolphins after escaping suspension.

There were fears Walsh would be wiped out of the Dolphins derby after the Broncos custodian was booked for a 53rd-minute shoulder charge on Murray Taulagi in Brisbane’s 26-16 defeat of the Cowboys on Friday night.

Walsh was placed on report for colliding with Taulagi as flew across in cover defence to stop what looked to be a certain try.

The Bunker explained that Walsh didn’t make an attempt to wrap his arms in the tackle, however he avoided the sin bin despite concerns from Fox Sports commentator Michael Ennis with the NRL’s match-review committee opting to only levelled a grade-one charge.

Despite it being his second shoulder charge offence, Walsh will take the early guilty plea and pay a $3000 fine - clearing the Queensland Origin ace for Friday night’s clash against the Dolphins at Suncorp.

Reece Walsh (centre) has escaped with a grade one charge for his shoulder charge on Murray Taulagi.

HUGHES BREAKS HAND, MRC CLEARS MUNSTER

Melbourne and Penrith have paid a high price for their pulsating grand final rematch on Thursday night as the two NRL powerhouses prepare to be without some of their biggest stars in coming weeks.

Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary, widely regarded as the best player in the game, will be the most notable absentee after suffering a concussion only minutes into the game against the Storm at AAMI Park.

He will be forced to adhere to the NRL’s 11-day stand-down rule, which means he is set to miss Thursday night’s game against South Sydney.

That collision, with Melbourne half Jahrome Hughes, may have come at a cost for the Storm as well after their star playmaker was sent for scans on Friday morning for a suspected broken hand.

Jahrome Hughes of the Storm is attended to by a trainer after his collision with Nathan Cleary. Picture: Getty Images

Hughes looked to reach for his wrist after the Cleary collision. The Storm have depth to cover for Hughes in the form of Tyran Wishart and Jonah Pezet, although their squad size is set to be tested as they confront a mounting injury toll out of the Panthers game.

Centre Nick Meaney was also sent for scans on a suspected fractured cheekbone on Friday morning after becoming the victim of friendly fire when he was taken out by teammate Nelson Asofa-Solomona.

Further, back rower Eli Kotoa and winger Grant Anderson finished the game with knee injuries. It is understood Katoa suffered a medial ligament injury while Anderson actually returned to the game after having his knee heavily strapped as he looked to help the depleted side through the final minutes.

The Storm play St George Illawarra next week and their depth is set to be severely tested as they look to continue their unbeaten start to the season.

The one ray of light to arrive on Friday morning was the news that five-eighth Cameron Munster avoided a charge form the match review committee after being put on report for a hip drop following an incident involving Liam Martin.

The match review committee looked at the footage on Friday morning and decided that Munster had no case to answer.

Penrith, meanwhile, must now weigh up whether to start Jack Cole at halfback against Souths or bring Brad Schneider into the side as they prepare to be without Cleary for at least one week.

Cole took over the chief playmaking duties on Thursday night and handled himself well as he produced one of his best performances in a Panthers jersey. Blaize Talagi slotted in at five-eighth and coach Ivan Cleary may choose to reunite the pair in the halves to take on the Rabbitohs.

The alternative would be to start Schneider, who played 14 games last year across halfback, five-eighth and the interchange bench.

—Brent Read

ROOSTERS, WARRIORS STARS SUFFER INJURY BLOW

—Jack Brady

Victor Radley sent another scare through the Roosters’ camp after suffering yet another nasty-looking head knock in their loss to the Warriors.

A charging run from Warrior Marata Niukore, which also left Rooster Sandon Smith feeling worse for wear, resulted in Radley exiting the game.

Staring down the barrel of his seventh failed head injury assessment in four seasons – and his second for 2025 – Radley allayed concerns and returned to the game late in the first half.

Teammate Connor Watson wasn’t so lucky on the concussion front after copping a stray elbow from Jackson Ford on the stroke of halftime. He is now set to miss the Tricolours’ clash with the Titans next Friday night after failing to return.

Despite getting the win, it wasn’t all good news for the Warriors either, with veteran winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck pulling up lame with an apparent hamstring concern.