Reece Walsh’s season could be over after the star fullback suffered an ankle injury in Brisbane’s 40-6 loss to the New Zealand Warriors on Saturday night.
Out of the finals race, the Broncos were playing for pride but the game was struck by injury carnage in the first half when Walsh was injured in a tackle by Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad.
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Walsh, who already had his leg heavily strapped, went down in agonising pain and Nicoll-Klokstad was sent to the sin bin when replays showed he put his weight on Walsh’s leg in the tackle.
“He can’t walk,” Cooper Cronk said on Kayo Sports.
Walsh was hobbling around in pain but stayed on the field only to throw an intercept pass to Warriors flyer Alofiana Khan-Pereira, who ran the length of the field to score.
Watch Reece Walsh suffer his injury in the video above
“Walsh is injured, he’s come back in for one big play and it’s cost him big time,” Cronk said.
“Doesn’t that just sum Reece Walsh. Courageous, tough. Wants to fight and compete on everything, and goes all in on the big play over the top.”
The Broncos fullback then came from the field with a suspected high ankle sprain — he will undergo scans but his NRL season is over and he is now in doubt for the Kangaroos’ World Cup campaign.
“He’s coming off. He can’t put any weight on that leg,” commentator Dan Ginnane said on Kayo Sports.
“That might be it for Reece Walsh this year.”
Walsh was Australia’s best player in last year’s post-season Ashes series win and was the frontrunner to keep the No. 1 jersey despite a mixed year for the Broncos.
The injury carnage continued when Warriors halfback Luke Metcalf injured his hamstring while kicking a conversion in the first half.
Metcalf immediately clutched at his right hamstring and was inconsolable in the tunnel and in the changeroom with ice strapped to his leg.
The Warriors defeated Penrith last week and have emerged as a premiership contender with their imposing forward pack. With playmaker Tanah Boyd sidelined with an ACL injury, the Warriors need Metcalf to recover in time for finals to mount a premiership push.
“Oh no! The hamstring. He knew straight away that something was up,” commentator Dan Ginnane said.
“What is going on with goalkickers and injury. Two at Souths and now Metcalf all in the space of a week.
“Metcalf, please no. This would be cruel. Absolutely cruel. He is snakebit Luke Metcalf. You can see that devastation just washing over him.”
“Scenes of devastation here for Luke Metcalf,” Cronk said.
In the past fortnight Rabbitohs duo Ashton Ward and Jayden Sullivan both suffered injuries while kicking conversions.
Yvonne Sampson said: “Watching Luke Metcalf grab at that hamstring when he took that conversion attempt was one of the more cruel things we’ve seen for someone who doesn’t need another injury.”
“My heart sunk,” Warriors great Shaun Johnson said. “It’s been a pretty horrid run for him.”
“Extremely sad for both of them.”
The Warriors took a 20-0 lead into halftime against the Broncos and kept piling on the points to claim a dominant victory — they are equal with Penrith on 36 points but remain in third position, just 10 points difference separating the two teams.
Originally published as Reece Walsh, Luke Metcalf in ‘absolutely cruel’ NRL injury carnage