Broncos fullback Reece Walsh has taken a cheeky dig at Panthers captain Nathan Cleary ahead of their blockbuster preliminary final on Sunday at Suncorp Stadium.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Walsh was asked about Cleary by a reporter.
“How do you stop Nathan Cleary, mate?” The reporter asked Walsh.
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“He cruelled you in the 2023 grand final.
“How do you deal with him?”
In response, Walsh asked the reporter a question of his own.
“How does he deal with us?” Walsh replied.
“It’s exciting. He’s a world class player and if you give him an opportunity, he’s going to take it.
“It’s like the same as us. If they give us opportunities, we’re going to take it.
“I guess it’s just trying to minimise (Cleary’s impact) and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
The NRL 360 panel discussed Walsh’s comments on Tuesday night.
“How does he deal with us? I love that. That’s such a great response from Reece Walsh,” host Braith Anasta said.
The Daily Telegraph reporter Paul Crawley agreed with Anasta.
“I loved what Walsh said then,” Crawley said.
“I’ve had a crack at him in the past for being too cocky and different things but that’s just honest self belief.
“He believes he’s at the peak of his powers right now.
“That performance when he came on against the Raiders (in the qualifying final) was something special.”
The Daily Telegraph journalist Dean Ritchie felt Cleary had the edge in the clash between the two superstars of the game.
“If you’re going to pit the two stars against each other, I know whose game I’d like to be backing under pressure,” Ritchie added.
“Nathan, in the finals, is irresistible.
“Where I think Reece Walsh, as brilliant as he is, can be temperamental.
“I’m sure they’ll sledge him, they might bowl him over after he’s passed the ball.
“They’ll be up in his grill, because they know if he is temperamental that he can unravel to some degree, where, the iceman, will never, ever get rattled.”
But Anasta believes Walsh is playing too well to be put off his game.
“He’s at different levels now though, Reece. This is career-best form for him,” Anasta said.
Co-host Gorden Tallis agreed.
“His 20 minutes against Canberra, with 16 points down,” Tallis said.
Crawley chimed in again.
“And that was on the back of the Melbourne performance (in Round 27) too where he was faultless,” Crawley said.
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But Walsh hasn’t completely convinced Ritchie.
“That’s when things are going good,” Ritchie said.
Tallis then pointed out that the Broncos trailed 28-12 against the Raiders with only 15 minutes to go, before coming back to win 29-28, and Walsh guided his team to victory.
“They weren’t going good, they were down 16 points,” Tallis said.
Ritchie then elaborated on his comments.
“In that period though, I want to see Reece, if he’s put under the heat, under the pump individually, how he stands up,” he said.