Reece Walsh called out as Brisbane Broncos legend turns blowtorch on NRL players
Walsh and his teammates look set to miss the finals this season after almost winning the grand final in 2023.
Broncos club great Chris Johns has taken a blowtorch to Brisbane’s underperforming stars after insisting they are not putting in for under pressure coach Kevin Walters. A two-time premiership winner with the Broncos, Johns’ explosive swipe included a not so subtle reference to fullback Reece Walsh, who is arguably the most high-profile star at the club.
Brisbane’s NRL finals hopes are on life support after they were trounced 41-16 at home against the Bulldogs last weekend. It’s left the 13th-placed Broncos essentially needing to win every one of their remaining five games to have any hope of playing finals footy in 2024.
Pressure is understandably mounting on Walters after the Brisbane coach guided them to last year’s grand final, only to see them beaten late on after a Nathan Cleary masterclass for Penrith. But Johns – who was the former Old Boys chairman at the Broncos, says the blame for Brisbane’s current predicament has to lie with the players, not the coach.
“A couple of weeks ago I saw them and saw the media start to turn a bit and say Kevin Walters is under pressure… Kevin Walters shouldn’t be under pressure,” Johns said on SENQ Mornings. “He’s put the squad together, he’s preparing them, if you talk to any of them and go to their training sessions and look at what he’s putting them through, they couldn’t be in any better physical condition. They couldn’t be better in game plans and knowing what’s going to happen – it’s just their intent, it’s their desire.”much into their own press.
In a thinly veiled swipe at the likes of Walsh – who has more than 500,000 followers on Instagram and signed a contract extension this year worth $1.1 million per season – Johns says the players needed to knuckle down at training, put more effort in during games and show more cohesion on the field, rather than worrying about their social media profiles.
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“The players have got to answer that… Why point the finger at the coach, start pointing the finger at some of the superstars and say ‘hey listen, you just went in and got a massive upgrade’,” Johns added. “You might be No.1 on Instagram and No.1 on TikTok but are you No.1 with your football mate that you’re playing with on the field.
“I think they’ve been reading a few too many newspapers and Jack Gibson had a great saying”: ‘Too many pats on the back put you to sleep’.
” Johns says the onus now is on the players to hold each other to account, with a win against Gold Coast on Saturday absolutely essential if they’re to keep their faint finals hopes alive.
