‘Don’t come here with Madge’s s***’: Gordie, journo in all-time heated Reynolds debate

Broncos legend Gorden Tallis and Brisbane journalist Peter Badel have gone head-to-head in a fiery NRL360 clash over the fitness of Adam Reynolds.

Tallis has been critical of Reynolds in the past few days since the Broncos captain fronted up for Fox League media duties 24 hours after suffering a painful rib injury against the Eels last Thursday.

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Reynolds was named to play this weekend against the Storm but was ruled out hours later.

On Triple M radio over the weekend, Tallis stated that it was “not great optics” that Reynolds was on television in Sydney instead of resting at home in Queensland and trying to heal his injury.

Broncos coach Michael Maguire blasted the criticism of his captain at a midweek press conference stating: “The talk about him not looking after himself is the biggest load of garbage.”

Maguire continued that Brisbane doctors assured that Reynolds would be fine to travel on plane down to Sydney on the Friday ahead of last week’s appearance on Fox League.

“I’d prefer to stay away from this conversation because I reckon it’s laughable, it really is,” Maguire said.

“We saw doctors and physios and they assured Adam he would be OK to travel.

“If it was a grand final, Reyno would have played, but it’s only in the early and it’s a long season.”

Despite hearing Maguire’s comments, Tallis doubled down on NRL360.

“It’s the grand final replay and he’s your captain. I will not dodge it, the first 24-28 hours are the most crucial for treating your injuries so maybe if he didn’t fly down here and treated himself at home and rested, then maybe he could have played,” Tallis opined.

Badel bluntly disagreed with Tallis, leading to a fiery back-and-forth.

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PB: Well Gordie you’re actually wrong, and I’ll tell you why. I spoke with Madge today and I spoke to a physio about Adam Reynolds and the rib cartilage injury and he said, flying is immaterial. It’s not a soft tissue injury.

GT: So let’s reverse it then if you’re sticking up for him. Blokes with rib cartilage injuries play. That’s what happens.

PB: It Round 3.

GT: So it’s not an important game?

PB: Not in the context of the season. It’s a big game but what I’m saying is that your initial criticism was that he shouldn’t have flown.

GT: In my era when we (Broncos) won six (premierships) and you got injured and you put yourself in front of the team and went to Sydney the players would frown upon it. If he can jump on a plane and put himself in that position, the dressing room would have frowned on it. I’ll leave it to the players, I’m not going to leave it to a physio who doesn’t play and I’m not going to leave it to you to tell me.

Tallis then clarified the comments he made on Triple M over the weekend.

“It was three hours into a radio show and you kept digging on the Broncos and I said he must be good because if he’s not, he wouldn’t jump on a plane. And then you guys write about it and I have to cop it,” Tallis explained.

“Well you should cop it because it was your initial analysis,” Badel replied.

Tallis believes Reynolds’ high standard of the club means he should try and “play though the pain”.

“That’s what that jersey deserves and you can’t tell me any different. If you don’t think it deserves it, that’s fine but I do and I wore it and you didn’t,” Tallis snapped.

The pair’s heated clash continued when Badel fired a shot at Tallis for sitting out a season for the Dragons early in his playing career.

PB: There’s 25 rounds to go, why risk the season now?

GT: So you can pick and choose when you play for the Broncos? Is that what your telling me?

PB: You picked and chose when you played. You sat out a whole season.

GT: That was from St George. You have to be a better journalist than that. I didn’t sit out at the Broncos.

PB: You sat out as a player. In terms of being judicious over a whole season, why would Reyno play Round 3.

GT: Because he’s the captain.

PB: So the captain has to play every game?

GT: That’s what leaders do.

The duo then debated Reynolds’ role in the Broncos grand final win with Tallis stating that the Broncos “don’t make the grand final if Reece Walsh doesn’t play” and that “(Reynolds) was off the field when they won” referencing the halfback’s calf injury in the decider before firing another shot at Badel.

GT: Don’t come here with Madge’s s**t, come here with your own original ideas.

PB: This isn’t Madge’s s**t.

GT: Please, give me a break.