Broncos star Reece Walsh was named to honor his NRL return against the Dolphins on Friday night. Walsh was initially ruled out for four to six weeks after controversial incident with Taylan May He suffered a broken cheekbone in Brisbane’s 34-12 loss to the Panthers in the third round.
The Broncos fullback will return a week earlier than planned to face league leaders Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium. This week, Walsh has been training with a bright pink head guard to protect his broken cheek.
With an injury like his, many teams would be asked to target the returning Maroons star, but the injured captain Adam Reynolds says Bennett-coached teams don’t play like that. The experienced halfback played under Bennett for three seasons at South Sydney and says he always focuses on player safety for both his team and the opposition.
“I’m sure he’s getting that protection,” Reynolds said. “Wayne, the coach, never likes to see players get hurt and he talks about trying to prevent people from getting into those situations. Wayne always cares about his team and about the others. He has a duty of care to make sure his players play a safe game.”
Reynolds said the superstar defenseman couldn’t wait to get back into the game and even wanted to play last week, but coach Kevin Walters denied him that. “Walshy would have played last week if Kevin Walters would have allowed it,” Reynolds said. “He’s a tough guy. He wanted to keep going. He hates missing games and loves being involved.”
Tristan Sailor secures a place on the bench for the game against the Dolphins
The 21-year-old will be the impressive Tristan Sailor However, Sailor has secured a place on the bench in the starting XI. The son of NRL legend Wendell Sailor had to wait until round four to play but has impressed since returning to the team.
He has taken Corey Oates’ place on the bench as the winger was named to the starting lineup in place of Deine Mariner, who was out for several weeks. And Reynolds is happy there is still a place for Sailor in the 17. “It gives us options throughout the game,” Reynolds said.
“We can let Tristan play in several positions. There is the possibility of using him on the field as a full-back or defender. He is so versatile that he can play anywhere except in the front row.”
Adam Reynolds has full confidence in his successor Jock Madden
The Broncos captain will be out for at least the next few weeks after leaving the field with a hamstring strain just before halftime of Brisbane’s 34-32 loss to Melbourne in round five. He will be replaced by Jock Madden on Friday night against the Dolphins and Reynolds believes the young halfback will do a good job for the side in his absence.
“Jock is definitely more than ready,” said Reynolds. “I love Jock. He’s a great kid and he’s learning. He’s leading the team around the park and doing a good job.”
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“If anything, we need to manage him better and support him a bit more. He’s quick, takes the line and has a lot of great qualities in his game. Unfortunately, in the games he’s played in, we haven’t played well as a team. That’s not a criticism of Jock. He’s a fantastic player and he’ll do his job.”
Reynolds says he is targeting a comeback in round eight against the Wests Tigers, but admits that game is still a “range” and could ultimately be a week later. “I’ll probably miss the Canberra game and I’m still a “range” for the Tigers, but it all depends on how it goes,” Reynolds said on Tuesday.
“I’m fine. I trotted today in training. It felt pretty good, although it wasn’t very fast. It will take a few weeks. I’ll see how it feels in the morning, then keep working with the physios and go from there.”
with AAP
