Warriors "bad blood" with Dolphins reportedly killed lucrative Reece Walsh offer

Outgoing Warriors star Reece Walsh was reportedly denied the opportunity of a lucrative deal with the Dolphins due to "bad blood" between the two clubs.

Walsh confirmed last week that he would return to the Broncos next season after being granted a release from the Warriors due to personal reasons that required the 19-year-old to be near his family in Brisbane.

The Warriors gave Walsh permission to enter contract discussions with the Broncos – and only the Broncos – despite new NRL expansion club the Dolphins also interested and based in Brisbane.

According to NRL reporter Ben Dobbin, Walsh was only allowed to sign with the Broncos because of "bad blood" between Dolphins recruitment manager Peter O'Sullivan and his former employer the Warriors.

"The elephant in the room is Peter O'Sullivan because he was the recruitment manager there," Dobbin told Triple M.

"His son is Sean O'Sullivan and his son-in-law is Matt Lodge. All three aren't at the Warriors.

"There has obviously been some bad blood there and the falling out from there has been that."

Dobbin also revealed that Walsh missed out on double what he got for joining the Broncos.

"He was offered double the amount of money to go to the Dolphins," Dobbin said.

"The Dolphins had an offer on the table that was $700,000 and the Broncos had $350,000."

O'Sullivan served as the Warriors recruitment guru from mid-2018, before joining Wayne Bennett and the Dolphins last October as the club builds towards their first NRL season next year.

His son-in-law Lodge joined the Roosters after his messy exit from the Warriors in May, when he was abruptly released by the club and given a costly payout.

The Warriors front office said the falling out between the two parties had stemmed from an argument between Lodge and Warriors owner Mark Robinson in a pub late last year. Lodge later disputed that story.

Walsh will join the Broncos on a three-year deal from 2023 and will remain with the Warriors for the rest of the season.