Walsh eager to learn
Reece Walsh says he’s looking to learn as much as he can from Roger Tuivasa-Sheck this season.
The Warriors snapped up the 18-year-old from under the noses of the Broncos as their long-term replacement for Tuivasa-Sheck.
He was supposed to join the Warriors from next season, but after a fair amount of to-ing and fro-ing, the Broncos eventually allowed him to join the Warriors immediately.
Walsh has been in camp with the Warriors for just over a week.
He fronted the media yesterday and explained why he decided to join the Warriors.
‘‘When I came down here [Terrigal] I had a good chat with Browny [Warriors coach Nathan Brown] and he was honest with where he saw me playing a part in the team and where he saw the team going.
‘‘I felt like I could fit right into that and I could be a good asset to the team.’’
When Walsh visited the Warriors, prior to agreeing to sign with them, he went out for a coffee with Tuivasa-Sheck and Tohu Harris, who also told him what to expect at the NRL club.
‘‘I sat down with Tohu and Roger and I fired some questions at them.
‘‘They answered honestly and I wanted to get here as soon as possible, so that I could take in the knowledge and learn from him [Tuivasa-Sheck].
‘‘That played a major part in me signing with the club and wanting to get over here a
year early to learn off him.’’
The Sydney-born Walsh has connections to New Zealand, with his birth mother, Kahuti Campbell, coming from Hastings, but his knowledge of the country he’ll eventually be living in is limited.
‘‘I’ve never been to New Zealand and don’t even have a passport at the moment, so I’m in the process of getting one now,’’ he said.
‘‘I’m excited to go over there and see a new part of the world and hopefully meet some family from my side.’’
For this season, Walsh will be able to ease his way into life as an NRL player, but next season, when Tuivasa-Sheck is with the Blues, Walsh will have some big shoes to fill.
Walsh is named on the extended interchange bench for Sunday’s game against the Storm, which means he’s unlikely to play.
But with Jack Murchie named to play centre, there could be some changes to the team before game day.
Paul Turner, Peta Hiku and Adam Pompey all picked up injuries in last weekend’s 20-14 win over the Dragons and are unavailable. However, David Fusitu’a and Bayley Sironen have both recovered from their recent injuries and are in the team.