The missing piece in Reece Walsh’s rugby league career

Cam Munster, Billy Slater and Cam Smith have a special piece in their career which Reece Walsh missed out on - an apprenticeship away from the forensic gaze of the NRL.

Maybe Kevvie was right after all …

When the Broncos handed Reece Walsh over to the Norths Devils back in 2021 it came with a simple message.

“You will have him for the season,’’ was the word passed down to the club from the Broncos, coached at that time by Kevin Walters.

The Broncos plan to let Walsh’s freakish talents bake and solidify in the oven of second tier football of the Hostplus Cup abruptly ended after a 20-point performance by the young star in round one.

He was soon signed by the New Zealand Warriors to became the biggest instant hit the Kiwis had seen since Dave Dobbyn’s Slice of Heaven.

A few months after leaving the Broncos a red hot Walsh was chosen as fullback for the Queensland State of Origin team, only to be ruled out by injury.

Reece Walsh’s stint with the Devil’s lasted one 20-point game. Picture: Supplied

“How could the Broncos get it so wrong?’’ was the common question and a fair question it seemed too.

But four years later a strong counter argument can be made for suggesting Walters knew what he was doing by trying to send Walsh along a route that planed the rough edges off so many stars and turned them from boys to men without having the forensic gaze of the NRL upon their every move.

Before he became a State of Origin halfback Cooper Cronk played 61 games for the Devils and did two years of a plumbing apprenticeship while he was there. If fixing toilets does not keep you grounded, nothing will.

Billy Slater played 24 games for the Devils. Cameron Smith 28.

Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater finished their apprenticeship at Norths.

A photo of the three of the three greats sitting beside each other in a Norths’ team photo is one of the club’s most historical snaps.

Harry Grant (41 Cup games) and Cameron Munster (46) had this type of experience with other clubs.

It’s called an apprenticeship. The time when you learn what works, what doesn’t, how far to push your talents. It could have been great for him.

By signing with the Warriors, Walsh missed the chance to go down the Cronk-Grant-Munster route and had to learn his trade with the scrutiny of a million discerning eyes on him.

Walsh is still a great talent and crowd magnet.

The best bits of his game are superb and it was no coincidence the Broncos turned a grizzly form slump into five match winning streak when he resurfaced after injury this season.

But, as was the case in the loss to Parramatta, there are also moments when the lid seems to pop off the saucepan and he makes too many mistakes for a player of such quality.

Originally published as The missing piece in Reece Walsh’s rugby league career