Reece Walsh is receiving praise around the NRL world after revealing it was his decision to hand over the kicking duties to Adam Reynolds in the dying stages against Penrith. The Broncos marched into the NRL grand final with a stunning 16-14 win over the Panthers on Sunday, ending their run of four-straight premierships.
Michael Maguire’s side came back from 14-0 down to prevail, with Walsh setting up the match-winning try in the final five minutes after a mixed performance. Reynolds nailed the conversion from near the sideline to put the Broncos up by two, sending the Suncorp crowd into pandemonium.
Reece Walsh revealed it was his decision to hand the last kick to Adam Reynolds. Image: Channel 9
It was Reynolds’ first conversion attempt of the day after taking over from Walsh. The Broncos fullback has been kicking for the last few weeks while Reynolds was sidelined with a hamstring injury, and retained the role on Sunday despite Reynolds being back.
Reynolds was happy for Walsh to keep the kicking tee because it meant putting less strain on his hamstring, but Walsh had a shocking miss after the Broncos’ second try. The fullback missed an absolute sitter from nearly right in front to keep the score at 14-10 rather then 14-12.
When Diene Mariner crossed in the corner to make it 14-14, Reynolds took over from Walsh and nailed the match-winner. There was speculation that Reynolds might have stepped in and demanded the kick over Walsh, but Walsh revealed after the game that he made the selfless decision to step down.
Reece Walsh handed the kicking duties to Adam Reynolds after missing a sitter. Image: Channel 9
Reece Walsh reveals it was his decision
When asked whose decision it was on Channel 9, Walsh responded emphatically: “Mine. That’s the reason he’s in our team – for those moments right there.” The fullback revealed Reynolds told him earlier in the week that the veteran halfback would be kicking, so Walsh didn’t do much practice.
But he heaped praise on his captain for nailing the moment. “The skipper was telling me that he’s goal-kicking so I didn’t do one bloody rep,” Walsh told Fox Sports. “So those moments are for him. I’m his little apprentice, I look up to him. I’m just so bloody happy for him. I’m just so grateful to be able to play with a player like that.”
Reynolds admitted after the game that his hamstring isn’t 100 per cent. “It was a little bit tight there so didn’t want to overdo it (by goal-kicking). It felt fine running around and with general play kicking,” he said.
“I just thought with the goal-kicks, Reece has been hitting them sweet but after he missed that second one, I don’t think he wanted the one after so I was more than happy to have a crack. Firstly when we scored, I had to clear the mind, recalibrate, take the emotion out of it and then go through the process. It’s just belief. You have to make sure you believe it and once it was off the boot, it felt nice.”
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NRL world praises Reece Walsh for selfless move
Fans heaped praise on Walsh for his selfless decision to hand over the crucial kick. Many pointed out that some players might have been selfish and demanded the moment that could have given the team glory.
One person wrote on social media: “The best thing Walsh did all day was pass the ball to Reynolds, knowing he was kicking terribly. That is a HUGE thing for a star player to give that up for the good of the team.”
Another commented: “That’s the kind of moment that separates contenders. Huge relief to have a veteran like Reynolds to ice the game. Makes you think about how crucial a reliable kicker is in the markets.”