Reece Walsh requires surgery on injured hand, set to miss two to four weeks
The Brisbane Broncos faint hopes of playing finals football has suffered a major setback with star fullback Reece Walsh set to go under the knife.
Brisbane’s bid to make a late push for the NRL finals has copped a blow, with star fullback Reece Walsh to undergo surgery.
Walsh will go under the knife this week after suffering a broken hand in last weekend’s win against the Cowboys in Townsville.
The Queensland Origin star produced one of his best performances of the season in Brisbane’s 42-18 comeback win against North Queensland despite being hampered by a metacarpal fracture.
The surgery is expected to sideline him for two-to-four weeks.
The Broncos have a bye this weekend before hosting last-placed Parramatta at Suncorp Stadium in round 25.
Walsh could be considered an outside chance of featuring in the Battle of Brisbane against the Dolphins on August 31 before the Broncos finish their regular season by hosting the Storm in round 27.
The Broncos must win their remaining three matches to have any hope of finishing in the top eight, but Walsh may not play at all again in 2024 depending on how he recovers from surgery.
Prop Payne Haas (foot) is also pushing to play again this season after taking a conservative route in his recovery from a Lisfranc injury.
Broncos performance chief David Ballard said both players were aiming to take the field again in 2024.
“Reece will have surgery on his hand this week with a return date dependent on how he recovers,” he said.
“Payne had a positive result from his testing and will now move into a more intensive training program.
“Both Reece and Payne will approach their rehab with a view to returning this season.”
Despite not playing this weekend, Broncos coach Kevin Walters has been putting his team through gruelling training sessions this week.
The Broncos fell off a cliff with eight losses in nine games and looked destined to bomb out of the 2024 premiership race when they fell behind 18-6 to the Cowboys.
But Brisbane showed spirit that had been missing in recent weeks, scoring 36 unanswered points to keep their season alive.
Utility Tristan Sailor will likely take Walsh’s place at fullback when the Broncos begin preparations for the Parramatta clash next week.
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