Broncos called out over brutal Reece Walsh mistake as detail about daughter comes to light
Corey Parker has taken a swipe at his former NRL club over their mismanagement of the 22-year-old star.
Broncos legend Corey Parker has questioned how the club ever let Reece Walsh leave for the Warriors after he signed a $5 million contract extension with Brisbane this week. The Broncos confirmed that Walsh is staying for another four years after months of speculation about the 22-year-old's future.
In finalising where his future lies, Walsh spoke of how much he loves the club and revealed he never wanted to leave. "I've wanted to play for the Broncos since I was a little kid, so I'm just really excited to be here and looking forward to getting into pre-season," he said. "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."
Walsh is a product of the Broncos academy system, but the club lost him to the New Zealand Warriors in 2021 in a massive retention blunder. The fullback moved to the Warriors and made his NRL debut there, playing at the Auckland club in 2021 and 2022.
Former coach Kevin Walters previously revealed his regret at letting Walsh leave, and vowed not to let it happen again. Thankfully for Broncos fans, Walsh is sticking around until at least the end of 2029.
But Parker has described the Broncos getting Walsh back from the Warriors as "lucky" and questioned how the club ever made the mistake of letting him go. When Walsh was in New Zealand in 2021 and 2022, the Broncos finished 14th and ninth on the NRL ladder.
Reece Walsh came back to Broncos to be closer to daughter
As soon as they got him back in 2023 they made it all the way to the grand final. But the only reason he came back was to be closer to daughter Leila, and the Warriors granted him a release on compassionate grounds.
"It was lucky," Parker said on SEN radio on Friday of the Broncos' retention blunder. "I've known Reece since he was a 13-year-old kid, and all he's ever wanted to do is play for the Broncos. When he came into the top-30 squad he still wasn't signed (long term).
"It was unbelievable to think this kid who promised so much - it wasn't like all of a sudden he jumped out of the box - he was always going to be a star. And he wasn't signed at Brisbane. And that was the reason he left to go to the Warriors.
"It was only because he had a kid back here in Queensland when he was playing for New Zealand. But if he didn't love the Broncos the way he does, they may not have gotten him back."
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Speaking on Thursday about his contract extension, Walsh mentioned that daughter Leila was a big part of his decision. Walsh is a single father at 22 and shares Leila with his former partner.
“I’m playing for more than just myself,” he said. “Having my family close means a lot and my little daughter plays a massive role in why I do what I do. I’m doing this for her. Knowing I will be close to her for the next four to five years, that makes it easier for me to be able to focus on footy, work hard and put all my eggs into the right basket.”
