Breakout fullback sensation Reece Walsh is feeling unsettled at the New Zealand Warriors, and is already setting in motion a Queensland return as he contract ticks down — though be it with the Broncos or Dolphins remains unclear.
Walsh, 19, is contracted to play with the Warriors this year, and a solid-inked 2023 agreement in the deal too. 2024 is also included in the contract, but whether he takes it up or not is in his favour.
There are rumours coming out of the Warriors camp he may be angling for a release.
New Zealand, who will be based out of Redcliffe this season, are quietly resigned to losing the boy wonder to their Queensland rivals sooner rather than later.
The club has been told, again, quite quietly, that Walsh is “uneasy” with the idea of playing away from his family for so long, and is pushing for a switch back to his home state in coming years.
According to sources close to the situation, who spoke to NewsCorp journalists, Wayne Bennett and the Dolphins are the frontrunners to sign the wunderkind number one should he leave the Kiwis early. The Broncos, who sensationally let Walsh go last year, are another viable option for the 19-year-old’s Queensland homecoming.
A third club, the Titans, have been mentioned in the equation several times, but considering their healthy stock of halves and fullbacks already coming through the ranks, are outside smokeys at best.
The biggest factor in all this behind-the-scenes plotting from Walsh and his camp is New Zealand’s looming return home for the first time in years.
This season will be their last based in Australia, before the Warriors are allowed to relocate back to Auckland next year and travel for away games like they did pre-COVID-19 restrictions. That would mean Walsh, his partner, and one-year-old daughter Leila would have to move to New Zealand permanently.
If there’s any specific date set for the firecrackers to go off, that would be it. NRL clubs are expecting Walsh to be ambivalent about heading off-coast for large chunks of time, and the Broncos and Dolphins are hoping the end of the 2022 season will be when the 19-year-old starlet is available.
Walsh played 16 games for the Warriors in the 2021 season, scoring nine tries and kicking 21 goals. He was fined $400 after pleading guilty to possessing cocaine at Surfers Paradise last September.
