Brisbane fullback Reece Walsh breaks hand in savage blow to Broncos

A season that hasn’t gone to plan for the Broncos or Reece Walsh has just gotten worse.

Reece Walsh has a broken hand. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

Brisbane’s faint finals hopes have been dealt a crushing blow with the club revealing Reece Walsh has suffered a hand injury that could keep him out for several weeks.

The Broncos also confirmed that five-eighth Ezra Mam would miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury.

Walsh suffered the injury on Saturday night in Townsville, possibly when Valentine Holmes jammed out of the line and whacked him, with the NRL Physio posting that surgery is often performed, with the fullback likely to miss 3-4 weeks.

The Broncos have the bye this week but only have three more matches to fight their way into the top eight, with last year’s grand finalists four points behind the Dolphins whom they play in round 26.

“Reece has sustained a metacarpal fracture and we will consult a specialist to determine the next steps,” Broncos head of performance David Ballard said.

An update heading into the back end of the season 👇

— Brisbane Broncos (@brisbanebroncos) August 13, 2024

Mam suffered a syndesmosis injury against the Titans a few weeks ago.

However, powerhouse prop Payne Haas (Lisfranc) and Tyson Smoothy (ankle) could return later in the year, with Brisbane keeping their finals hopes alive with a shock win over the Cowboys before the bye.

“Ezra underwent surgery last week and will move into his rehab program over the coming weeks, with a view to return ready to go for pre-season training later this year,” Ballard said.

“Payne and Tyson both didn’t require surgery.

“Payne will undergo some further testing in coming days before we can assess when he will return, while Tyson has begun his rehab work in the gym.“