Walsh praised, then slapped with shoulder charge
Brisbane coach Michael Maguire has provided perspective on another rocks-or-diamonds display by Reece Walsh, who received good news from the match review committee on Saturday morning.
The 22-year-old fullback was put on report in the second half for a shoulder charge on North Queensland winger Murray Taulagi in Friday night's 26-16 win at Suncorp Stadium.
The MRC gave Walsh a grade-one charge and with an early guilty plea he can pay a $3000 fine and be available to play the Dolphins on Friday night.
If Walsh fights the charge and is found guilty he will receive a two-game ban.
Maguire praised Walsh for his defensive work in the win over the Cowboys.
Walsh made five errors, set up winger Jesse Arthars for a try with a glorious pass and landed a 65-metre 40/20 kick that turned the momentum Brisbane's way after they had been camped on their own line during a scoreless opening 20 minutes.
Watch all the highlights as the Broncos take on the Cowboys!#NRLBroncosCowboys pic.twitter.com/HhGqr2vSwI? NRL (@NRL) March 21, 2025
It was that defensive effort at the start that most impressed the coach, who said Walsh could take a lot of the credit.
"We had a strong defensive line and that comes from what Reece does out the back. There is 50/50 in the game - defence and attack - and I thought Reece was excellent defensively," Maguire said.
"The other side of the game will come. You could see him rallying the boys around. You don't defend like we did if you don't have a fullback rallying his troops. I was pleased with that."
Walsh made four errors the previous week in the loss to Canberra. Most of his errors against the Cowboys involved pushing a pass. He is possibly trying too hard but Maguire said he just needed to "keep at it".
"I have had players like Reece who go through little periods in their careers and it helps define who you are. It makes you a better player," Maguire said.
"He probably doesn't feel that at the moment but one thing I do know is that he will be better for it when he keeps working his way through it. He has got a good supportive team around him. Reece will be right."
Walsh does not let a mistake stop him from having a red hot crack at the next play. He had 23 runs against the Cowboys for 137m, a sign that he did not go into his shell.
Captain Adam Reynolds was impressed with several aspects of Walsh's display, despite the errors.
"We continually work hard at our craft at training. It will turn but I thought he was good tonight," Reynolds said.
"He ran the ball strongly into the line. He organised the defence and scrambled across to save tries. We nitpick at the little mistakes that he makes but there are a lot of great things he is doing as well."
The Broncos have won two of their opening three matches and play the Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.
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