Tryless Walsh wants to talk a good game
Reece Walsh may have put talk about his future to rest by categorically stating he’ll be with the Warriors in New Zealand next year, but says he’s now got to sort out how he’s playing.
The Warriors star is one of only three fullbacks going into round nine who’s yet to score a try in 2022, with the others being Starford To’a at the Tigers, who’s played five games, and the Broncos’ Te Maire Martin, who has only made two appearances for his new club.
Walsh has played in seven games this season and is still to cross the tryline, while he’s also made three line breaks and has had the same number of try assists.
Even though footy is more than statistics, Walsh doesn’t think he’s been doing enough in games.
‘‘I haven’t made as much of an impact as I can,’’ Walsh said.
‘‘I feel like I’ve got to get myself in good positions and have a talk with my halves. If I’d had an opportunity to talk to them, I probably haven’t been speaking to them as much lately.
‘‘It probably comes back to myself, demanding the ball in those opportunities.
‘‘If I want to get better I need to start talking to Shaun Johnson, D [Daejarn Asi] and Wayde [Egan].
‘‘But we’ve still got a while to go in the season and if I can start putting myself in good situations, demanding the ball and getting the ball, I feel like it will be better for the team.’’
Walsh says it’s not something on his mind that he’s still facing a nudie run at the end of the season and is confident that the tries will start coming.
‘‘That stuff will come if I keep putting myself in good positions,’’ he said.
‘‘If I get the footy more, that stuff comes off the back of it.’’
Walsh, who scored nine tries in 16 games last season, might not be having the impact on attack he’d hoped for, but he has improved his defence considerably and is maturing into a wellrounded player.
‘‘That’s been my goal over the first nine rounds of the competition – to try to get my defence right, to be an all round player, not just attacking,’’ he said.
‘‘I feel like my defence has improved a lot, I’ve still got a lot more I can learn.
‘‘I have been pleased with my defence, but I want to get my attack back on a roll.’’
Part of the reason why Walsh pushed for an early release from the Broncos last year to join the Warriors was to spend time learning off Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.
But Tuivasa-Sheck left towards the end of last season, for his code switch to rugby, and Walsh says he’s now getting support from a number of players at the club.
‘‘We’ve got one of the best halfbacks in the game at our club,’’ he said.
‘‘I can learn off Shaun [Johnson] and not just him, others like Wayde Egan, Chanel [HarrisTavita], I can take a leaf out of their books and even lean on some of the experienced front rowers like Addin [Fonua-Blake] and Matt Lodge, they’re smart footballers and see stuff.’’
Even though Walsh has confirmed he’ll be at the Warriors next season, which he didn’t actually need to do, it won’t be long until the speculation starts on whether he’ll accept or reject the option he has in his favour for 2024.
But at least for now, the debate over his future has stopped.
‘‘To be honest, that’s why I did go out and talk to a journo,’’ he said.
‘‘Just to get that off my back and off the boys’ minds here at training and the coaching staff.
‘‘These are people that hear the talking and not so much stress them out, but a red flag was getting put up there.
‘‘If it’s not coming from my mouth, then don’t believe it.’’