Maroons coach Billy Slater has hit out at Reece Walsh’s critics and backed the tyro to repay Brisbane’s faith after signing one of the richest contracts in Broncos history.
The 22-year-old opted against hitting the open market to instead reportedly ink a four-year $4.4 million extension tying him to the club until the end of 2029.
Walsh struggled at times this season while battling concussion and injuries which contributed to Brisbane’s stunning slide down the ladder to finish 2024 in 12th place.
Widely recognised as one of greatest players and fullbacks in NRL history, if anyone is qualified to comment on Walsh’s situation surely it is Slater.
Playing 74 games to date since debuting for the Warriors in 2021, Slater says Walsh has all the attributes to reach his mountainous potential at Red Hill.
“It’s great news for the Brisbane Broncos and great news for Reece as well,” Slater said on his Channel 9 podcast.
“Reece is 22 years old and the next 125 games are going to be with the Broncos, so that will take him to a 200-game player.
“You think about where you get your game to from 75 games to 200 games, that’s a great chunk of your career and the Broncos are going to see the best of Reece Walsh over the next five years.
“It’s a great result from the Broncos, there’s not many guys like Reece Walsh running around in the game.”
Slater also believes Walsh’s love for the club will be a bonus as he aims to bring a drought-breaking title to the Broncos over th enext few seasons.
“There’s not many players with his quality and he wants to be a Bronco,” Slater said.
“It’s fantastic for them that Reece wants to be in Brisbane. His family is in Brisbane, he has his daughter based up there, that’s where he wanted to go back to from the Warriors.
“Reece is in an environment where he can really focus on his footy now.
“For the next five years, he doesn’t have to think about contracts, he just has to think, ‘I can go after the next five years’.”
Walsh enjoyed a stellar 2023 campaign for the Broncos with his talents greatly helping the Queensland side to a grand final appearance which they lost to Penrith in the dying minutes.
Slater handed Walsh his State of Origin debut last year with the fullback playing a solid part in a Queensland series win.
However, his 2024 season has been rocky after suffering a facial fracture, hand surgery and a sickening head knock in Origin one in Melbourne.
Storm legend Slater said Walsh’s attention to detail and willingness to learn had him primed to deliver for the Broncos over the coming years.
“I work closely with him in the Queensland Origin team,” Slater said.
“Reece is a great young lad, he has a great passion for the game, he loves the game and he has a great drive to become better.
“He is a student of the game. He has this drive within him, he works really hard and it just doesn’t happen.
“When you see players with a lot of talent like Reece Walsh and Kalyn Ponga, it doesn’t just happen. You have to work for it.
“The game is too hard to just go out there and outlay your talent. You have to be super fit. You have to be super professional, you have to understand the game and prepare for the game.
“He does that and has this want to be as good as he can. That want is a very undervalued attribute.
“If you don’t want it, it won’t happen for you, it doesn’t matter how much skill you’ve got.
“Luckily for the Broncos, Reece has that.’
Walsh’s biggest criticism is that he is too often probe to errors, but Slater warned not to expect perfection from a player so early in his career.
“He is not perfect and sometimes we expect our young stars to be perfect too early,” Slater explained.
“But he is only 22 and you have to take yourself back to 22 and say, ‘How many rough edges did I have?’
“He will develop and grow as a person and player.
“We should be thankful that guys like Reece want to be a part of our game because they bring everything to our game.
“It (the four-year extension) is a good move by the Broncos and all parties will be happy with the result.”
