Reece Walsh won’t play against the Dolphins on Saturday, according to Kevin Walters, in a game that could be the last for the Broncos in the NRL. With a crucial victory over Parramatta in Round 25, Walters’ team maintained their hopes of making the finals and are currently only two points behind the top eight.
With the Dragons’ loss to Cronulla on Sunday, the Broncos, Dolphins, Knights and Raiders are all still alive and just one win outside the eight with two games to play. Crucially, the Broncos have a better for-and-against than all of the teams around them – including the eighth-placed Dragons.
If St George Illawarra stumble again and the Broncos can beat the Dolphins, Walters’ side would be in the eight heading into the last game of the season. But they’ll have to do it without Walsh this weekend after Walters revealed he won’t be ready to return from his hand injury.
After breaking his hand against the Cowboys, the great fullback hasn’t played in two weeks and had surgery to stabilise the injury. Walsh was expected to recover from his injury in two weeks, as Jayden Campbell did from a similar injury earlier in the season.
Reece Walsh’s return could be too late to save Broncos
But speaking in his post-match press conference on Friday night, Walters said neither of Walsh or Payne Haas would be fit to face the Dolphins. Considering the do-or-die nature of the game, it comes as a slight surprise the Broncos won’t rush Walsh back – even if he’s not fully fit.
