OPINION
Michael Maguire might be having a quiet word to Reece Walsh when he gets back to the Brisbane Broncos after a noticeable change he’s made in defence appeared to backfire in the third Ashes Test. Walsh hasn’t been known for his defence throughout his short career, but has made a number of brilliant plays without the ball in hand over the last month.
It started in the NRL grand final when he shut down Ryan Papenhuyzen to save the game when it looked like the Melbourne Storm were destined to score. Walsh hung with Eli Katoa just long enough to force him to pass, but then fully committed to tackling Papenhuyzen to save a try and the game.
Reece Walsh went for the intercept and missed badly. Image: Channel 9/Getty
He then did similar in the first Test against England, saving two tries when he knocked the ball down following line-breaks. As he did in the grand final, he committed to the ball-carrier long enough to force the pass, but was then able to reach out and prevent a try.
But England appeared to cotton-on to Walsh’s defensive tactics in the third Test on Saturday night. Jez Litten sold the Kangaroos fullback a massive dummy and ran straight past him because he knew Walsh would go for the intercept.
On this occasion, Walsh showed his intentions way too early and Litten hardly even had to dummy. The hooker ran straight past the fullback before kicking for a George Williams try.
As many pointed out on social media, the better option for Walsh was to try and tackle Litten and make him pass, and have enough confidence in his teammates to catch the English support players. Walsh appeared to go way too far in his new tendency to try and tackle the support player or knock the ball down, and it resulted in a try for England.
Reece Walsh fell for the dummy and allowed England to score. Image: Channel 9
NRL teams should be taking notice of Reece Walsh ploy
Rival NRL clubs would no doubt have taken notice, and they’ll be on high alert in 2026 that Walsh likes to play for the intercept. Whether that forces Maguire to discuss the tactic with Walsh remains to be seen, but the coach would probably prefer his fullback to make the attacking player draw and pass.
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Fans were critical of how easily Litten went past Walsh, with many pointing out the game’s top fullbacks would all cop backlash if they went for an intercept and were beaten so badly. One person wrote online: “Once you realise that Reece Walsh never actually goes for the man in defensive situations, it’s no surprise that Litten has sold him an absolute belter of a dummy. Nice to see we’ve actually learned something from the first two Tests.”
Another wrote: “Jez Litten making Reece Walsh look like a turnstile. Wonderful stuff by the hooker.” While a third added: “What was Walsh thinking?”