Outgoing Queensland Rugby League chairman Bruce Hatcher has tipped Reece Walsh to become the best player in the NRL after comparing the Broncos’ $5 million man to the great Wally Lewis. It’s fair to say Hatcher knows more than a thing or two about rugby league in the state after presiding over the QRL during one of the most successful periods of footy in Queensland’s history.
Hatcher is regarded as one of the best administrators in the game and has been involved in rugby league for the last 55 years. Across that time he’s witnessed the birth of State of Origin in 1980 as well as ‘The King’ Wally Lewis’ dominance for his state on the representative arena, plus the Maroons’ unparalleled era of dominance under former coach Mal Meninga that included eight straight series wins between 2005 and 2013.
The 78-year-old Hatcher will be succeeded by Brian Canavan as QRL chairman and has called on master coach Wayne Bennett to become the NRL’s next immortal in one of his parting messages. But it’s his thoughts on Broncos superstar Walsh and the similarities he sees between the 22-year-old fullback and the Maroons’ greatest player that will have Brisbane fans daring to dream.
Hatcher says he’s never witnessed another individual have the same level of influence on a game than Lewis. And while he admits there will only ever be one ‘King’, Hatcher believes Walsh possesses similar qualities to Lewis in being able to save tries at one end of the field while coming up with match-winning plays at the other.
Speaking with The Courier Mail, the outgoing QRL chair is adamant Walsh can become the best player in the NRL over the next decade and help deliver the Broncos a first premiership since 2006. “Absolutely… he’s just a supreme talent,” Hatcher said about Walsh. “A team is only as good as its essential parts and if Reece has one of his blinders, that’s at least 12 points he scores on his own. His speed is incredible and he’s one player who can make an enormous difference to team performance. The key for Reece is the Broncos can’t have this dependence on just one player to turn the game for them.”
Hatcher concedes that Walsh is still very young and has plenty to learn in the game, but it shows the weight of expectation the fullback will shoulder in Brisbane after recently agreeing to a bumper new four-year extension worth more than $4.4 million. Walsh has already shown new coach Michael Maguire how keen he is to put a disappointing 2024 for the Broncos behind him after returning to pre-season training two weeks earlier than required.
Maguire took charge of Broncos pre-season training for the first time at the start of the week and wasted little time stamping his mark after putting his troops through a rigorous workout in scorching Brisbane heat. The former NSW coach is a renowned disciplinarian who prioritises hard work and has been brought in to lift the standards at the club. And Walsh is already buying in.
Reece Walsh ready to work as Michael Maguire era begins
“I want to be someone who works hard, someone who brings success, someone who helps bring premierships to this great club, but first of all, I’ve got to be a good person off the field, a caring dad, a good role model, and I’ve got to work hard on my footy,” Walsh said recently. “I’ve had a few conversations with Madge (Maguire), and hard work is one thing he touches on a lot—I can’t wait to be around the boys again and get stuck into it together.”
Walsh has also thrown his support behind Ezra Mam, whose NRL fate will be decided when the results of a second drug test come in, following a car crash he was involved in last month. Queensland police have alleged the five-eighth was unlicensed and failed an initial roadside drug test after a four-year-old girl suffered a broken hip in the crash but they have not yet laid charges. Mam has just about completed a stint in rehab and is facing a big fine and suspension but it’s understood the NRL and Broncos will stop short of ripping up his five-year, $4 million contract.
“I feel for Ezra; he is an awesome person for a start,” Walsh said. “He is going through a tough time at the moment, and everyone in this club feels for him. They know the bloke Ezra is and how caring he is. We have his back, and it’s important we are there for him and we support him. He has made a poor decision, but that doesn’t define who he is as a person or define the future. I know he will learn from it. He will take the actions he needs to do to come back in the right way.”
