Absolutely justified: Bennett weighs in on Walsh ban

Joel Gould | June 30, 2023

The NRL judiciary were absolutely right to suspend Brisbane fullback Reece Walsh for three weeks for contrary conduct, Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett says.

Bennett has added some spice to Saturday’s ‘Battle of Brisbane’ with the Broncos at the Gabba, weighing in after Walsh was banned following a foul-mouthed spray at the end of his side’s 18-12 loss to the Gold Coast last weekend.

The 20-year-old Reece had a running battle with referee Chris Butler throughout the match.

While he insisted his late-game tirade was aimed at Pat Carrigan, a version of events backed by his Broncos teammate and opponent David Fifita, the judiciary ruled against him.

Bennett was asked whether Walsh’s penalty was justified.

“Absolutely,” the veteran coach said. “The referee has got to be protected and the game does them a great disservice when we don’t.

“To the game’s credit they have always stood up for referees, whether I’ve been a coach or player. So they should.”

Brisbane captain Adam Reynolds said this week he’d had a long chat to Walsh about his “unacceptable” language but backed the youngster to learn his lesson.

“Sometimes people learn and sometimes they never learn. That’s to be seen what he learns out of it,” Bennett said when told of Reynolds’ comments.

Broncos coach Kevin Walters addressed the Walsh ban on Friday at his pre-game press conference.

“We have spoken. It’s all done and dusted now. He’s good,” Walters said. 

“It’s been handled the right way and Reece has owned up to his misdemeanours. We are getting on with life.

“It’s not a huge problem for Reece. He is very passionate about his game. We will deal with it in-house and get some support around Reece. He’s got some time on the sideline which we accept and we will get on with things.”

The Broncos will play Tristan Sailor at fullback in the clash with the Dolphins.

“I am really excited for Tristan as well. He gets his second game at the Broncos and he will get a few games with Reece’s suspension,” Walters said.

“He showed great skills in his debut against the Warriors. He’s like Reece, he’s a footballer and lives and breathes to play footy, so it’s a great opportunity for him in Brisbane in front of his home crowd.”