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Adam Reynolds in 'play of the season' as fans laud Broncos halfback

riley morgan
Sports Reporter
·4-min read
Adam Reynolds reacts and Cameron Munster runs.
Adam Reynolds (pictured) produced the moment of the game in the Broncos' victory over the Storm on Friday night. (Images: NRL)

Adam Reynolds was arguably the best player on the field against the Storm on Friday night and NRL fans have praised the halfback's elite moment of genius in the first-half. Reece Walsh, Reynolds and the Broncos ran rampant against the Storm winning 26-0 having held their rivals to their first scoreless finals game since 2003.

And immediately the game was dictated by the mobile Broncos forwards and the elite kicking game of Reynolds. The halfback has largely been credited for the Broncos' form over the last two seasons having left the Rabbitohs in shock circumstances.

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The Rabbitohs know just how good the 33-year-old can be and he showed it on Friday night with one special moment that turned the tide in the opening stages. Storm five-eighth Cameron Munster had put in a brilliant kick to give his team a repeat set after Xavier Coates made the chase.

However, with the Storm regathering, Reynolds launched a 45m drop kick to the sideline and managed to catch Munster out of position. The kick took everyone by surprise with the Broncos getting the ball back on the halfway line in a huge turnaround.

Manly and Maroons great Paul Vautin was full of praise for the No.7 as he said: "That's as good a play as you will see tonight." Reynolds' show-and-go in the first half also helped create the overlap as he put Katoni Staggs through for the first try of the game.

Reynolds added two more try-assists to the record and his praise after the game was unanimous. The halfback has returned after two weeks sitting out with a calf injury, but looks ready to help the Broncos make their charge for a long-awaited premiership title.

It only compounded a bad night for the Storm who routinely allowed the home side to be carried out of their own territory with penalties.

It was the first time in the club's history the team has kept their opponents scoreless in the NRL finals. The Storm haven't been kept scoreless in the NRL finals since 2003.

Adam Reynolds applauds the fans.
Adam Reynolds (pictured) was the best player on the field against the Storm on Friday night. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Ryan Papenhuyzen injury brings game to standstill

Unfortunately, the game was marred with Ryan Papenhuyzen breaking his ankle in just his third game back. The fullback was attempting a tackle when his leg became stuck under teammate Nelson Asofa-Solomona. The 25-year-old went down and was writhing in pain.

Reads 'NRL Finals 2023' with the cut out images of three players throwing a football - Cameron Munster, Nathan Cleary and Reece Walsh, with a backdrop of a football stadium.
Discover more of our NRL Finals coverage.

Players from both teams rushed to help Papenhuyzen as referee Grant Atkins stopped the game immediately and signalled for help. Coach Craig Bellamy was left shattered for his fullback after the incident.

"He's in a whole heap of pain and it's a suspected broken ankle," Craig Bellamy said, after images cut to him during the incident and showed him in disbelief at the injury. "I can't imagine how he's feeling at the moment.

"The amount of work he put in to get back to playing again, then get back into the NRL too. It wasn't a great night anyway, and it made it a lot worse."

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