Gorden Tallis was known as the Raging Bull during his stellar playing career and on Wednesday night, we saw why as he went to war with Courier Mail journalist Peter Badel over Brisbane captain Adam Reynolds.

Tallis had raised concerns at the weekend and then again on NRL360 on Fox League on Monday night over Reynolds’ decision to fly to Sydney at the weekend to work on Fox League – the day after he suffered a rib injury during his side’s loss to Parramatta.

Reynolds was named in the Brisbane side for this week’s game Melbourne only to be ruled out on Tuesday night.

Broncos coach Michael Maguire described the criticism of Reynolds as “garbage” and Tallis fired up when he was questioned by Badel.

“In my era when we (Broncos) won six (premierships) and you got injured and you put yourself in front of the team and went to Sydney the players would frown upon it,” Tallis said.

“If he can jump on a plane and put himself in that position, the dressing room would have frowned on it. I’ll leave it to the players, I’m not going to leave it to a physio who doesn’t play and I’m not going to leave it to you to tell me.

“That’s what that jersey deserves and you can’t tell me any different. If you don’t think it deserves it, that’s fine but I do and I wore it and you didn’t.”

The duo then danced over Tallis’ decision to sit out a year of his career after he left the Dragons to join the Broncos.

“You picked and chose when you played,” Badel said.

“You sat out a whole season.”

Tallis replied: “That was from St George. You have to be a better journalist than that. I didn’t sit out at the Broncos.

Tallis then questioned Reynolds’ impact on last year’s grand final for the Broncos – he left the field late in the game with a calf injury – before rounding on Badel again.

“Don’t come here with Madge’s s**t, come here with your own original ideas,” Tallis said.

Tallis has not been a supporter of Maguire’s since he joined the Broncos, famously telling him to “lose my number” when he succeeded his close friend, sacked former coach Kevin Walters.

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GT: It’s the grand final replay (rematch) and he’s your captain. I will not dodge the question, the first 24-28 hours is the most important time for treating your injuries. It’s as simple as that. So maybe, if he didn’t fly down here – maybe I was right – and he treated himself and he stayed home and sat on the couch and rested, then maybe he could have played.

PB: But I’ll say Gordie, you’re actually wrong, and I’ll tell you why. I spoke to Michael Maguire today.

GT: You speak to him every day.

PB: I do, most days. It’s my job. But also, I spoke to a physio about Adam Reynolds and the rib cartilage injury and he said, flying is immaterial. It’s not a soft-tissue injury.

GT: So let’s just reverse it then if you’re sticking up for him. Blokes with rib cartilage injuries play. That’s what happens.

PB: But it’s Round 3.

GT: So it’s not an important game?

PB: Not in the whole context of the season. It’s a big game but what I’m saying is that your initial criticism was that he shouldn’t have flown.

GT: I’m telling you, in my era when we won six (premierships), when the Broncos were winning six, if you got injured and you put yourself in front of the team and went to Sydney.

Okay, the coach might have dealt with it and your physio, and your doctor, but the players would have frowned upon it.

If you can jump on a plane and put yourself in that position, the dressing room would have frowned on it. I’ll leave that to the players, I’m not going to leave it to a physio that doesn’t run on the field and play and I’m not going to leave it to you to tell me.

But if I’m playing with someone and I’m there, and he puts himself in front of us, it’s not good.

PB: But your initial grievance was that his flying affected his treatment, that’s wrong.

GT: “It was three hours into a radio show. So you and Travis (Meyn, fellow journalist) sit there and wait for me to say something and you keep on digging at the Broncos. It was three hours on radio and I said ‘he must be good because if he’s not, he wouldn’t jump on a plane’. That’s exactly what I said. So then you guys sit there, then you write it and hit the Broncos and I have to cop it.

PB: But you should cop it because that was your initial analysis.

GT: But when you play, and when you’ve played the game, and you hurt yourself and you’re the leader, sometimes you’ve got to go through pain. Sometimes you have to. That’s all I’m saying. That’s what that jersey deserves and you can’t tell me any different. If you don’t think it deserves it, that’s fine. But I do and I wore it and you didn’t.”

PB: But what I’m saying is, Adam Reynolds, whether he flew here or not is immaterial to the recovery from the injury. It’s not a soft-tissue injury.

GT: Then play.

PB: And whether he plays this week or not is immaterial. There’s 25 rounds to go, why risk your season now?

GT: Okay, so as the captain you can pick and choose when you want to play? Is that what you’re just telling me now? You can pick and choose when you run out for the Broncos? Is that what you just told me?

PB: You picked and chose when you played.

GT: No, I played every week.

PB: You sat out a whole season.

GT: Yeah. That was from St George. You’ve got to be a better journalist than that. I didn’t sit out at the Broncos.

PB: But I’m talking about, you sat out as a player, immaterial of the club. In terms of being judicious over a whole season, why would Reyno play in Round 3?

GT: Because you’re the captain.

PB: So the captain has to play every game?

GT: If you’re right, you’ve got to lead. That’s what leaders do. This is not about Adam Reynolds. You can say what you want to say but I know that I’m right. In a dressing room, where I sit, when you want someone to follow you, you need a leader to follow.

PB: He’s a leader.

GT: Okay.

PB: He’s won them a premiership.

GT: Who won it for them? He was off the field when they won it.

PB: They don’t even make the grand final if he doesn’t kick the sideline conversion against Penrith.

GT: They don’t make the grand final if Reece Walsh doesn’t play. Go and ask any footy person.

GT: Don’t come here with all Madge’s s**t, come here with your own original ideas.

PB: This isn’t Madge’s s**t.

GT: Oh please. Give me a break.

Originally published as Gorden Tallis erupts at journalist in explosive on-air clash over Broncos captain Adam Reynolds