Michael Ennis had to put his “ego in the back pocket” when playing alongside a “white hot” Ben Barba in 2016.
And that’s exactly what Adam Reynolds will have to do to unlock Reece Walsh and steer the Broncos to a premiership in 2025.
The 35-year-old makes his return from a hamstring injury in this week’s preliminary finals clash against the Panthers, with Walsh being in red-hot form in recent weeks.
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In Reynolds’ absence, veteran Ben Hunt and Billy Walters have unlocked Walsh, giving him early ball and allowing him to dominate attacking duties.
Ennis knows exactly what it’s like to play with an in-form fullback, with Barba playing a starring role in the No.1 jersey for Cronulla, helping them to a 14-12 win and a title.
“It’s interesting, Reynolds’ key elements. He needs to defend well, that’s the big thing, defend well and kick well,” Ennis said on NRL360 on Thursday night.
“I saw some vision before of Jarryd Hayne and Ben Barba, and I remember Barba and the period at Cronulla when he was white hot and also at the Bulldogs in 2012.
“A lot of our job in the spine was to put your ego in the back pocket and put Ben in positions to do what he does best.
“That’s the confidence I have in Adam Reynolds.”
In July 2016, Ennis revealed he would be hanging up the boots at the conclusion of that season and he enjoyed a fairytale finish with a Sharks premiership.
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The legendary hooker was of the belief Reynolds will be focused on doing the same, with distractions like representative football completely out of the picture.
“Adam is in that point of his career, he has won a competition. He has played State of Origin, he is not chasing a Kangaroos jersey,” Ennis said.
“He is chasing a premiership. That’s what he has gone to Brisbane to do and that’s what he wants his legacy to be.
“He will go out there on Sunday and try and put Reece in positions to unlock his best footy. That’s what I am confident in and why Reynolds is a good selection.”
Elsewhere, Ezra Mam has also been named on the bench for the Broncos, while Pat Carrigan’s suspension left a gaping hole in the No.13 jersey.
Kobe Hetherington was the obvious selection, but Michael Maguire instead opted to pick Tyson Smoothy in the run-on side.
That move came after a failed experiment to start the season for the Broncos, according to Ennis.
“I think Madge tried in pre-season to set the tone. He went with Michael Maguire style players,” Ennis said.
“Kobe Hetherington starting, he pushed Pat Carrigan upfront. We saw Jack Gosiewski start on an edge instead of Brendan Piakura.
“He brought (Gehamat) Shibasaki in, it was a great story… everyone went okay, Madge is rewarding effort here, that’s what Madge loves.
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“But he quickly learnt that the reason Brisbane made the grand final in 2023, they need Pat Carrigan’s ball-playing through the middle.
“I think the ball-playing of (Tyson) Smoothy, just gives them another layer of attack through the middle.
“He doesn’t need to be brilliant, he just needs to be able to hold the ruck defensively and push the ball a couple of passes to Reynolds and Walsh on the edge.”
However, legendary forward James Graham held grave concerns for the Broncos, with Smoothy set to defend in the middle of the park.
“I worry about Brisbane’s middle, I look back at Penrith’s display against the Bulldogs, and they battered the Bulldogs through the middle,” Graham said.
“Take the brilliance of Cleary… it was line speed, it was intensity… you need some, other than Payne Haas, you need some middle forwards that are going to bend that line back.
“If you’re going to be coming off your own end, you need some big bodies there. I wouldn’t be surprised to see maybe (Xavier) Willison start.
“The Panthers do not give up leads, if you miss that start, if you’re chasing your tail, it is almost an impossible task.”
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