Walsh has ‘a lot to learn’ – Jones
When Stacey Jones sat Reece Walsh down to deliver the news he’d been dropped, the Warriors interim head coach started the conversation with a simple ultimatum.
‘‘This can go one of two ways,’’ Jones told the Brisbane Broncos-bound fullback.
A Warriors great, who burst onto the first-grade scene at a similar age, Jones told the 20-year-old he could either kick stones and go in a different direction or get on board with the team and what he was being asked to improve. ‘‘He’s done the latter,’’ Jones said. Everything, both on and off the field, has come quickly for Walsh, and Jones believes this reality check can have a positive impact on his immediate future before he joins the Broncos next season. ‘‘It was a tough decision to make on a kid that . . . he gives his all Reece but he’s got
stuff in his game that he needs to learn. ‘‘He’s not the first player, at a young age, to be dropped or put back to the bench and he’s not going to be the last.
‘‘Reece has got a lot to learn about the game, but he’s got so much talent you know where he’s going to get to,’’ Jones said. After erupting onto the NRL stage against the Storm on Anzac Day 2021, Walsh was a standout on the attacking side of the ball for the rest of the season, but hasn’t hit that same form in 2022. From his off-field troubles at the end of the year, to constant contract rumours and his well-publicised relationship breakdown, there has been regular distractions. Jones couldn’t rule those factors out of plaguing Walsh’s form but said that was also part of learning to be an NRL player and about using his support networks. ‘‘He’s had a lot on his plate, the last two
years really, so hopefully things like this can settle him down a little bit.
‘‘It’s tough on him but you’re going to see a lot of him in the future,’’ Jones said.
Walsh will start off the bench against the Raiders with Chanel Harris-Tavita being moved to fullback. One of the criticisms of Walsh has been his lack of experience in organising the defence from the back. Jones has praised the way Harris-Tavita performed that role against the Tigers and his own defensive positioning.
It wasn’t an easy decision, Jones said. But it was made easier by the way Harris-Tavita performed against the Tigers in the homecoming win. Jones has a plan to get Walsh into the game against the Raiders in Canberra on Saturday, but he’s not willing to share it. ‘‘I’ve got a plan but that is between me and Reece and the rest of the team.’’
There is a possibility Walsh could enter the game playing in the halves or in a roving role through the middle, Jones said.
Warriors captain Tohu Harris said Walsh has responded well to the demotion so he was hoping the call to bench him was having the intended effect ‘‘to give him a bit of a kick’’ that Jones was aiming for.
Harris described Walsh as having all the talent but said he’s still not quite there as the first-grader he can be.
‘‘He’s still got lots and lots to learn and the consistent grind of the NRL is something that he will learn with time and age.’’