Adam Reynolds is Brisbane’s general but fullback Reece Walsh is a key lieutenant who must chime in at the right time and do his thing.
That’s the word in a nutshell from coach Michael Maguire as the flamboyant Walsh gets advice from the game’s greats on what he should and shouldn’t be doing on the footy field.
Darren Lockyer, Cooper Cronk, Billy Slater and Kevin Walters are amongst the legends who have had their say on Walsh after the fullback’s error-prone display in the Broncos’ 22-20 loss to Parramatta last week.
Lockyer, who won three of his four titles with the Broncos at No.1, told Channel Nine that Walsh was guilty of “thinking he has to come up with that magic pass”.
“Just run first and wait until it presents itself,” Lockyer said.
“You get the ball (as a fullback) and accelerate into the line to get those metres for your forwards and be ready for an offload.”
The Broncos have won eight of 12 games with Walsh in the team this year and two of six without him.
There can be no doubt he has effort, desire and skill in his play in abundance.
When the Broncos are behind or a game is in the balance, Walsh will get involved and try to ignite the attack.
In a comeback 34-28 win over Cronulla in Round 16 it was Walsh who turned the game with two try assists and a dazzling line break. In that game he did what Lockyer is suggesting.
Against the Eels, captain and half Reynolds had scored a try and set one up for a 14-8 lead but in the second half Walsh took over and overplayed his hand.
“Reyno’ is our captain and our general for sure. Reece knows that and he respects that too in a great way,” Maguire said.
“We expect Reece to go out there and take the opposition on when the time is right. It is just picking the right times.”
Maguire, speaking ahead of Friday night’s home clash with South Sydney, said Walsh was not “difficult” to mentor.
“You want those players as a coach,” he said.
“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 definitely not hard to handle.”
Walsh’s passion was clear when he gave centre Kotoni Staggs a spray for dropping a pass against the Gold Coast several weeks ago.
Minutes later Walsh put Staggs away on a run and backed up to score.
“That’s banter. It’s passion. It’s trying to get things right. You need that,” Maguire said.
“Any great business has people that have strong conversations at times. It is obviously played out in the public eye with what we do.
“You get it right the next time. We had Kotoni going down the sideline after those discussions (with Walsh). They are healthy but in the right manner.”
