Reece Walsh should be allowed to continue playing high risk football, according to Dean Ritchie, who fears “it could ruin his career” if coach Michael Maguire asks him to get the mistakes out of his game.
Walsh had a mixed game in the Broncos’ shock 22-20 defeat to Parramatta in Round 21 on Friday night.
While he set up a try scored by hooker Billy Walters, Walsh made three errors, and what would have been the match winning try was taken off him because the bunker ruled him to be off-side.
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But veteran journalist Ritchie compared Walsh to former Australian opening batsman David Warner, believing that, like Warner, Walsh’s mistakes should be tolerated, in the knowledge that he will win you games as well.
“He’s an entertainer,” Ritchie told NRL 360 on Tuesday night.
“I said today, he’s like a David Warner.
“He’ll hit a hundred off 60-odd balls but he might nick the next one.
“That’s just what you’re going to get.
“You can’t laud him one week for being spectacular, but then condemn him the following week.”
Ritchie warned there would be dire consequences for Walsh if Maguire asks him to restrain himself.
“If Madge sucks the spirit out of that kid, by saying ‘pull back’, I think it could ruin his career,” Ritchie added.
But fellow panellist Paul Crawley didn’t agree with Ritchie, and believes Walsh needs to try to minimise the ill-discipline in his game.
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“All the great players always say, you’ve got to limit the difference between your best and your worst,” Crawley added.
“With Reece, it’s not even from game to game, it’s from moment to moment.
“And he’s at that stage now where he’s 23 years of age.
“He owes it to the team, to try and pull back on moments.
“Some of those bullet passes or different things.
“His magic is what brought them to life this year, but if they’re to be a hope of winning the comp this year or next year, Reece does have to grow up a bit.
“The great ones do mature and he’s at that age now where it’s probably time for him to get some of those mistakes out of his game.”
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