The inside story of Reece Walsh's Warriors departure

By Will Toogood

One club stand between the Warriors and their first NRL grand final since 2011 - the Brisbane Broncos. Star fullback Reece Walsh has a connection to both clubs and Warriors chief executive Cameron George has lifted the lid on the discussion with Walsh that eventually led to his departure from the Warriors to return to Brisbane.

Twenty-one-year-old Reece Walsh has been one of the signings of this year’s NRL season, emerging as a genuine star of the game as the Broncos finished second in the competition.

It hasn’t been all positive for Walsh in his burgeoning career - this time two years ago he had to front a meeting with Warriors CEO Cameron George after he was found in possession of cocaine. According to the Sydney Morning Herald and Fox Sports, the next conversation the pair had was Walsh informing George he wanted to return home to Brisbane to be with his young daughter.

“I had a feeling I knew what was coming,” said George.

“I understood Reece’s reasons, and we wanted him to be a dad.”

George then reportedly asked Walsh where he wanted to go, expecting him to say the Dolphins - it would have made sense for the young flyer to want to play under legendary coach Wayne Bennett in Redcliffe.

But Walsh said, “I want to go to the Broncos. I want to go back home to them.”

George says he wasn’t prepared to let the then-teenager leave without securing a replacement - and Walsh supported that.

“Being separated from his daughter would have been heart-wrenching for him. He’s a good kid. But we had to do it on the proviso we had a replacement. He understood that and they knew he just couldn’t walk out.”

When the Warriors learned Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad also wished to return home to better perform his duties as a father - Walsh got his wish.

Nicoll-Klokstad had fallen out of favour at Ricky Stuart’s Canberra Raiders and moving back to New Zealand appealed to him.

“We could have made him come back to New Zealand, but he couldn’t have been a father to his daughter. We’re a family club and we understand it,” George said.

“Charnze wanted to be home with his kids, too. They’re humans. You’ve only got to look at both of them, and they’re responding on the field because they’re happy.”

Rookie Warriors coach Andrew Webster has done the unthinkable in his first season in charge, steering the Penrose side to a preliminary final after the club wallowed in 15th place the previous year.

They are now one game away from a grand final. The team in their way? Reece Walsh’s Broncos.

Should Walsh be the one to dash the Warriors’ hopes fans may walk away with feelings of a scorned lover, but George says he has taken a lot of “satisfaction” watching him establish himself as a true gun this season.

“He’s a terrific kid and a terrific player and you’ve only got to watch him this year to see how well he’s going when he’s really happy and at home.”

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission