Savage fate awaits Reece Walsh following New South Wales insult

Reece Walsh quickly became Origin’s newest villain hours after starring in his Maroons debut, now a savage fate awaits the superstar fullback.

Queensland Maroons Reece Walsh at team training at Red Hill, Brisbane ahead of game two of State of Origin, Tuesday, June 13, 2023 - Picture: Richard Walker

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In the space of one hair pull, two insults and countless batted eyelashes, Reece Walsh has been anointed Queensland’s newest agent provocateur.

After a spicy Origin debut where he yanked the mane of Jarome Luai before ghosting the scene quicker than Ben Creagh, the debutant dropped more Mentos in the Coke bottle in the aftermath by claiming New South Wales “think they are better than everyone” and “think they own the game”.

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In a world of Origin media so sterile it should be fed to sufferers of golden staph, Walsh’s comments were the first verbal napalm spread across the border since Gladys and Anna’s Covid tiffs and the blowback will be tenfold.

Not in Origin’s second game on Wednesday night, of course; Lord knows we Blues haven’t got a chance of shutting the fullback down, nor Queensland.

But that doesn’t mean New South Wales can’t subject him to some special extra-curricular attention.

While Fittler ordered Walsh to be heavily targeted in Game I, we stuffed it up by using Josh Addo-Carr. Maybe this time around we’ll send in someone other than the nicest man in rugby league.

Reece is comfortable in the Origin cauldron. Photo Steve Pohlner

Walsh wants to take on all of NSW. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

And if getting physical doesn’t work, New South Wales can revert to delivering some of its homemade ‘dark arts.’

This may come as a surprise, but most New South Welshpeople agree with Reece Walsh’s comments.

New South Wales DOES think it owns the game, because it DOES.

You may not be aware, but the ‘N’ in ‘NRL’ doesn’t actually stand for ‘National.’

It refers to the headquarters of the game where its administration, media and powerhouse clubs are based, meaning nothing relevant happens without the approval of a vertically integrated enterprise of powerful Sydney-centrics.

While Queensland may be the land of drought and flood and fire, New South Wales boasts Phil Gould, Nick Politis and Ray Hadley.

With the pull of a few strings and a leak or two, we could have Walsh plying his trade in front of 200 people at Lidcombe Oval. And if that doesn’t work, we’ll just find out which pub band he loves and never schedule them for pre-match at the Grand Final.

But it doesn’t end there.

Walsh is in for a cruel fate. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

With Sydney also home to the game’s overarching governing body – the player managers – we have even more avenues to settle the score.

Sure, Walsh will likely shred the bejesus out of the Blues for a decade, but what if he ever needs to undermine his coach for a release or agitate for more coin?

He’ll never get this from the compliant Brisbane media, just like he’ll never surge to a campaigned Dally M or a cheap seat on a Kangaroo Tour.

By upsetting New South Wales, Walsh has also cruelled any chance of breaking the law and embarking on an inspiring redemption story at the Roosters on a reduced $700k deal. Who’s laughing now?

The Queensland fullback has awoken the rugby league beast, a beast dangerous at everything except rugby league.

And even if he somehow slips our nets of revenge here in Sydney, we’ll just get even by exonerating a flood of Blues at the judiciary and sentence a Maroon to six weeks for breaking wind. Simples.

– Dane Eldridge is a warped cynic yearning for the glory days of rugby league, a time when the sponges were magic and the Mondays were mad. He’s never strapped on a boot in his life, and as such, should be taken with a grain of salt.