Once upon a time, Reece Walsh imagined putting himself among the legendary Brisbane company of Darren Lockyer, Corey Parker, and Alfie Langer as career Broncos. Now, a shock trans-Tasman switch has the 18-year-old building new NRL dreams.
It’s no secret young Reece Walsh has already made Kevin Walters regret pushing him out the door at Red Hill; since his explosive Warriors debut against Melbourne on April 25, the star fullback has absolutely sizzled in the NRL.
Walsh has only played six top-flight games so far, but he’s already become one of the must-watch rookies of the year. The 18-year-old has four tries and eight try assists to his name — in his first six games, remember — and 22 tackle breaks and six line breaks to boot.
When he gets his hands on the footy, magic happens.
Right now, he’s pulling off those plays for the Warriors, the club that’s won out in the drawn-out Walsh shuffle. It wasn’t always going to be the case though, at least not in the eye’s of Reece himself. In his mind, he was going to be “a Bronco for life.”
“I did think I was going to be there [at Red Hill] for life, but that didn’t work out. Now I’m here [in New Zealand] and I’m fully invested in the Warriors,” he said.
“Not saying I wanted to jump into it, but Kevvie [Walters] … just wanted to hold me back a little bit and had Jamayne [Isaako] at fullback. I sat down and spoke with Brownie [Nathan Brown at the Warriors]. He wants me to grow, and learn.
“He’s a terrific coach and he’s got a lot to give me.”
“I’m loving it. Now that I am here I’m really happy with the decision that I made. The Warriors opportunity came up with an opportunity for me to play first grade, and have that first crack at the NRL, and I just didn’t want to throw that away, so I took it.
“I’m learning a lot, especially from Roger [Tuivasa-Sheck]. The team has a good bunch of boys, and every day they make me happy that I made the choice to come here.”
Roger, in particular, has been a “massive” part of Walsh’s ever-changing NRL dreams. Where once he looked up to Broncos legends like Lockyer and Langer, now he gets to play alongside his fast-rising Warriors idol.
More than anything, Walsh is ever-grateful at Tuivasa-Sheck’s positional sacrifice.
“What Roger has done in the game – he’s won a premiership, Dally M [Medal], Golden Boot,” Walsh said.
“For him to still step aside [in regards to the fullback jumper], it makes me really feel special and want to go out there and do a job for him and the boys.”
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One big issue that clouded much of Walsh’s time at Red Hill, he says, is his size. Clocking in at a light (for NRL stars) 86 kilograms, the 18-year-old knew he’d be up against it.
Even looking at his own playing roster, forward superstars like Tohu Harris (112kg), Bunty Afoa (113kg), and man mountain Addin Fonua-Blake (123kg) overshadow the spry fullback by 30-40 kilos. It’s something Walsh has been “hard at work on.”
“I’ve prepared well coming up,” he explained. “I’m not the biggest person in the world but I am not the smallest that plays in this sport. Physically I’m going alright.
“I’ve definitely got a lot to get better and a lot more to go but at the moment I do feel strong and that physically I’m going okay.
“[The contact] is a lot more than the local footy and your own age group. The hits are bigger. [Recovery] is really important to get yourself ready for the next week.”
And now, a half-dozen games into his Warriors career, Reece Walsh finds himself rebuilding his NRL dreams. Where once Red Hill and Suncorp Stadium filled his mind each and every day, now it’s a New Zealand premiership.
On top of that, there’s one dream already looming as the State of Origin engine shudders to life for Queensland’s must-win Game 2: pulling on a Maroon jumper.
According to some, Walsh “must” be in the squad.
Others, like Channel Nine pundit and New Zealand Warriors consultant Gus Gould, consider all the Reece Walsh Queensland talk “absolutely ridiculous.”
And as for the man himself?
“I try not to look at it too much, I try not to get caught up in that sort of stuff,” Walsh told the NZ Herald. “Obviously I do see that stuff but even how good it sounds, I haven’t had too many first-grade games. But that doesn’t mean that the confidence isn’t there – that I could go out and have a crack.
“I definitely would have a crack but I have still got so much to learn and I am lucky enough to have people around me that are teaching me. I’m a young fella and that is something I always dreamed to do so if the opportunity was there I would love to do it.
“If I do get the chance to go into Origin camp, I would go in there like a sponge and I would soak it all up and just learn as much as I can. It would be really special.”
