Keano Kini barely played this season due to a horrific injury, but his return to international football with the Kiwis in the Pacific Championships was so good that Corey Parker sees him as worthy of comparison with Broncos superstar Reece Walsh.
Premiership winner Walsh has taken the NRL by storm over the past two years, with his performances this season earning him a debut call-up for the Kangaroos.
Walsh wasted no time showcasing his ability on the turf in England as Australia achieved an Ashes clean sweep, with one of rugby league’s most respected columnists, Roy Masters, declaring him the best player since Reg Gasnier in a piece for The Sydney Morning Herald on Monday.
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Reece Walsh and Harry Grant of Australia celebrate after winning game one. Getty
While Walsh was exceptional for the Kangaroos in England, he was not the only fullback dazzling on the global stage.
Kini played just six NRL matches in 2025 before donning the Kiwi jersey in the Pacific Championships due to a serious neck injury that sidelined him for eight months.
The 21-year-old suffered the injury in round three when the Titans defeated the Knights, and scans of his injury revealed he was just four millimetres away from paralysis.
Kini’s performances when he returned in the final rounds of the season for the Titans ultimately led him to earning a spot on the wing for the Kiwis.
In 80 minutes against Tonga, he ran 199 metres, scored a try and added two line-break assists. Just two weeks later in the final, he ran 219m and made eight tackle breaks.
Keano Kini in action during the Pacific Championships. Getty
Those results caught the eye of Parker, who revealed on radio on Monday that he believes Kini’s performances are on par with that of Walsh, a Clive Churchill Medallist.
“I had this discussion yesterday with my son, and I said, ‘Keano Kini is as good as Reece Walsh’,” Parker said of the Pacific Cup winner on SENQ Breakfast.
“Keano Kini has all the attributes … the only thing I haven’t seen Kini do consistently that I see Walsh do is kick a ball. That’s the only thing.
“He only played six NRL games this season, he had neck surgery, and he’s spoken about his journey and what he has been able to do.
“He is a superstar. I can not wait to see him with a full pre-season under his belt again under Josh Hannay in the new set-up that they have got going there at the Titans.”