NRL fans are questioning whether Reece Walsh got away with a forward pass on the play immediately before the Broncos scored the match-winning try against the Panthers. Walsh returned to his brilliant best on Thursday night as Brisbane kept their season alive with a 14-12 upset win over Penrith.
Walsh had three try assists, six tackle breaks and a clutch conversion from the sideline to win the game for the Broncos in Parramatta. But fans were left fuming over a controversial moment in the lead-up to the match-winning try for Josiah Karapani.
Many thought Reece Walsh and the Broncos got away with a forward pass at a crucial moment. Image: Getty/Channel 9
Walsh’s pass to Xavier Willison appeared to be forward on the preceding play, but it was missed by the officials. Walsh then got the ball from dummy-half and went down the short side before producing a sublime pass for Karapani to score in the corner.
The commentators didn’t mention Walsh’s pass to Willison, but it was a huge talking point on social media as fans claimed the Panthers were dudded. One person wrote: “Playing the wrong sport, the ball’s meant to be passed backwards last time I checked.”
Another commented: “Another forward pass.” While a third added: “The pass before that Broncos try was more forward than the one that was called back for Penrith.”
Reece Walsh appeared to throw the ball forward to Xavier Willison. Image: Channel 9
Michael Maguire proud of Broncos bounce-back
The Broncos then held on for the final 10 minutes to deny Penrith and snap an eight-game losing streak. With seven rounds remaining they’re six points adrift of the top eight (before the rest of the round’s games).
“When you get your players out there then they all complement each other,” Broncos coach Michael Maguire said after his side got Pat Carrigan, Adam Reynolds and Ezra Mam back from injuries. “Reece got on the back of what was going on in the front row, and there were a lot of special efforts right throughout the team, and people like Reece can come up with a performance like that.”
The Broncos scored a shock win over the Panthers to keep their finals hopes alive.
It was only Penrith’s fourth loss of the year and opens the door for the Warriors to reduce the gap at the top of the ladder to two points. “I came here knowing it was going to be a high-quality game,” Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said.
“I just can’t remember a game where I felt like we just ran out of time. Reece Walsh was unbelievable tonight and came up with a try that I don’t know if many people could stop that one (but) I thought our defence was outstanding.”
