The Broncos are 12 points a game better off with Walsh, but to win finals Reynolds must be the boss

The statistics are clear - the Broncos are a 12 point better team when Reece Walsh plays. But if Brisbane are to make a run deep into the finals then some awkward conversations need to be had.

Queensland great Cooper Cronk has urged Adam Reynolds to be the boss of Brisbane’s attack and have a “strong conversation” to stop superstar fullback Reece Walsh running interference.

Cronk’s advice to Reynolds came as Broncos coach Michael Maguire rubbished suggestions Walsh is too hard to handle and defying game plans ahead of Friday night’s clash against South Sydney.

A tactical analysis of the Broncos reveals a Brisbane side that is statistically the most destructive line-breaking team in the league, but riddled with ill-discipline and unforced errors in their own half.

Reece Walsh has been urged to take a back seat to Adam Reynolds in the Broncos attack. Picture: NRL Imagery

Brisbane’s poor inside-50 completion rate is amplifying pressure on their offence, often prompting Walsh to try and conjure risky attacking movements in a bid to spark the Broncos into action.

Maguire wants Brisbane to play the “long game”, code for the Broncos building pressure through good-ball sets, ruck dominance and effort-based, kick-chase hustle to create the latitude for Walsh and the spine to attack.

In a desperate bid to get the Broncos rolling in last week’s shock 22-20 loss to the Eels, Walsh, fiercely competitive, chimed into the frontline and jostled with second receiver Ezra Mam and chief commander Reynolds for possession.

Cronk is a huge fan of Walsh, but says Brisbane could squander a grand-final appearance this season unless captain Reynolds, a proven premiership winner, takes charge as the main man and delivers a clear message.

“Reece Walsh is doing way too much and trying to win with every play,” said Fox League expert Cronk, a four-time premiership winner with Melbourne and the Roosters.

“The Broncos are starting to get frustrating, because I feel like they need a lightning-bolt moment.

“Adam Reynolds needs to have a strong conversation with Reece Walsh and Ezra Mam and say, ‘Listen, we are a chance of doing something this year. Stop doing that. I will get you in the positions, but you need to execute your play’.

“If they just get it together, I think a grand-final opportunity is there for them.”

Any suggestion the Broncos are better off without Walsh is nonsense.

Here’s the evidence: when Walsh is on deck, Brisbane have won 31 of 48 games for a 65 per cent win percentage. When Walsh is unavailable, the Broncos have won just nine of 21 matches for a paltry 43 per cent success rate.

When Walsh plays, Brisbane’s attack improves from an average of 21.1 points per game to 26.9. When Walsh is out, Brisbane leak more points, conceding an average of 19.2 per game to 25.6.

That means the Broncos are effectively a 12-point better team when Walsh is on the park in the No.1 jumper, a statistical barometer not lost on Maguire, who hit back at claims the fullback overplays his hand.

While he may overplay his hand at times, the stats show the Broncos are better off with Walsh in their team. Picture: NRL Imagery

Maguire says Walsh accepts Reynolds is Brisbane’s primary shot-caller and game manager.

“’Reyno’ is our captain and our general for sure,” he said.

“Reece knows that and he respects that, too, in a great way.

“We expect Reece to go out there and take the opposition on when the time is right. It is just picking the right times.

“Everyone has an opinion, between Reyno, Reece, ‘Hunty’ (Ben Hunt) and Billy (Walters) and our spine.

“Those guys get together and if they do what we talk about we will find our game.”

Asked if Walsh is hard to handle, Maguire said: “You have got to have those players. You want those players as a coach.

“The slight adjustments and tweaks in the game are the things I enjoy with the great players I’ve been able to coach and he is no different.

“He is the same as all the great players and you are tweaking those guys.

“He is definitely not hard to handle.

“It’s a balancing act. You don’t want to take him too far away from that, but just have an understanding of what the team is trying to do for 80 minutes.”

Walsh celebrates what he thought was the matchwinning try against Parramatta, only for the Bunker to deny him. Picture: Getty Images

Brisbane’s lack of patience is derailing their premiership assault.

They led the league for line breaks and are ranked third for tackle busts, but they are in the bottom four for completion rates, errors and incomplete sets inside their own half.

Brisbane are the second most penalised team in the NRL, putting further stress on their defence at a time when their offence has yet to hit top gear.

“Brisbane are playing too much half-field football,” said Fox analyst Matty Johns, the former Newcastle champion playmaker.

“For me, they need to open up the field a little bit. I like the structured stuff, but it’s a means to an end.

“The structured stuff is very good to get themselves past the scrum line, but then straight away, go bang, hit them over the other side of the field.

“On a long sweeping movement, even if you won’t beat a defence in one play, it still disrupts the defence.

“All of a sudden there is an offload out the back, or a quick play the ball, and that’s when Ezra and Reece start to carve up through the middle.”

Walsh has hit paydirt on short-side rushes this season, but Cronk, one of the code’s greatest game managers, believes Brisbane’s attack still lacks polish.

He believes greater authority from Reynolds can unlock Walsh and take the Broncos to a title-winning level.

“There is a bit on Adam Reynolds to reel him in a bit because the team is first,” Cronk said.

“They came out after halftime (after leading the Eels 14-12) and started making errors with forward passes, ball on the deck, and it gave Parramatta an opportunity to stay in the game.

“If they had just put the foot down in the first five or 10 minutes, Brisbane would have won by 20.

“Reece almost turned the game and won it himself.

“I’m not saying put the cue in the rack (for Walsh), but it’s managing the gap between his best and his worst.”

Originally published as The Broncos are 12 points a game better off with Walsh, but to win finals Reynolds must be the boss