andrew reid
·4-min read
Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans has backed Reece Walsh to play his own game in Wednesday night's State of Origin opener, despite the livewire fullback being told to rein in parts of his game in 2024. Walsh's Brisbane Broncos coach Kevin Walters told the 21-year-old to "take a chill pill" earlier this season, with the fullback guilty of making mistakes when he tries to force things too much in attack.
Walsh is undoubtedly one of the biggest attacking threats in the NRL in 2024 but some of his scintillating displays have been overshadowed by a host of errors and poor decision-making. Maroons coach Slater has already come out with a different message for Walsh than his coach at Brisbane, by encouraging the speedster to play his instinctual and attack-minded game, regardless of the risk.
"I want 'the Reece Walsh', I want him," Slater said about his flashy fullback during Maroons camp. "He's a wonderful player, and we want the best Reece Walsh that he can be. There will be no pills in our camp," the Queensland great added in reference to the line from Walters.
Cherry-Evans says that's the same approach he's taking with Walsh. And speaking before Game I in Sydney on Wednesday night, the Maroons captain warned the Blues that the 21-year-old fullback will only get better with more experience. "I reckon I am going to let him be Reece. I am certainly not going to talk to him about it (reining in his game)," Cherry-Evans said.
"There are plenty of other things we talk about in camp, and so long as our talk and connection is around how we play our best footy I reckon Reece has always got the team first. I think he is going to be fine. He has a great mentor in Billy. He won't be short of people giving him advice, but ultimately the best advice we can give Reece is to be himself.
Maroons skipper warns Reece Walsh will only get better
Walsh is already regarded as one of the best players in the NRL and was a standout in Games I and II as the Maroons claimed last year's Origin series, before being suspended for Game III. He is actually yet to taste defeat while playing for the Maroons, with Wednesday night's match set to be Walsh's first Origin match at Accor Stadium, in NSW heartland. And Cherry-Evans says the best is yet to come as far as the fullback is concerned.
"All of the best fullbacks take time in the game. It takes time to refine and learn the game, so of course I think his best footy is ahead of him. He has set a pretty high bar for himself," the Maroons captain said. "That is why I love playing alongside him. He is a special player.
"I've got a lot of faith and confidence in Reece." The Queensland captain, 35, says the energy Walsh brings to the team is electric and the key to getting the best out of the livewire No.1 is to simply get him the footy. "He just gives me so much energy, just watching him run around. He is great to watch and hard to play against," Cherry-Evans added.
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"It is nice he is on my team this time. We are going to try and bring out the best in Reece Walsh on Wednesday night. There are a lot of moving pieces that go into a game of footy. Reece is one, and a very important part... (We need to) Get him the ball in space. It is as simple as that."
Walsh is set to renew his infamous rivalry with NSW playmaker Jarome Luai from last year's Origin series that included some hair pulling and both players being sent off at the end of Game II. Walsh said he was relishing the rematch with Luai but insists the feud with the Blues No.6 is a thing of the past.
"Luai, yeah... it's exciting. It's going to be good," Walsh said in Maroons camp. "We're two really competitive people. There are people you want to play with and against (like Luai) who give their all... You go out and play with passion and sometimes it boils over a bit, but at the end of the day it's just footy."
with AAP
