Broncos halfback Adam Reynolds could be kept out of Brisbane’s final two regular season games with a niggling calf injury and not just this week’s Raiders clash as first thought.
Reynolds suffered a minor calf tear during a training session last Friday, and was quickly ruled out of the penultimate round match in Canberra, but the Broncos star says there’s a chance he’ll miss the Round 27 clash against the Storm as well.
Speaking to The Courier Mail, Reynolds alleviated the fears of Broncos fans by declaring he will be fighting fit for the finals series.
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“I will miss one or two games but in my mind I’m back for the semis,” Reynolds said.
“It’s not ideal being injured this close to the finals but it’s a good opportunity for Jock (Madden) to get in there and get some combinations with the team.”
While not on the level of a player like Reynolds, understudy Madden has proven he can get the job done when his number is called.
When Reynolds was out due to groin tightness for the Rd 23 clash against the Cowboys in Townsville, Madden did an admirable job in his place in Brisbane’ 30-14 win.
If it was up to Reynolds, he’d probably play against the Storm in the final round, but expects the medical team and coaching staff to err on the side of caution.
“There is a chance I could be right to go next week if everything goes right with the rehab, my calf is already feeling a lot better than when I first did, so it shouldn’t be too much of an issue,” Reynolds said.
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The latest injury to the star playmaker so close to the finals has The Daily Telegraph’s Dave Riccio “concerned” about the Broncos and has the chance to derail their season.
“I’m nervous about this for the Brisbane Broncos,” Riccio said on SEN.
“Let’s just say Brisbane get rolled this weekend against Canberra, they then have to take on the Melbourne Storm, who historically have an immense record against the Broncos.
“Keep in mind they’ve recently had the bye so they haven’t played many matches in the past month
“If you throw in two losses going into a semi-finals series plus queries about Adam Reynolds’ calf, I’m a little bit concerned about the confidence levels and the mentality of this extraordinary Broncos side going into the finals.
“It’s a really delicate balancing act here for Kevvie Walters for the next two weeks.”
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Reynolds’ most recent injury battle lays bare another potential issue for the Broncos.
Andrew Voss believes Reynolds’ important goalkicking will only be affected by time off caused by the calf problem.
“If you think back to the 2021 Grand Final, he misses that conversion from the sideline against Penrith,” Voss said on SEN.
“He had that leg injury going into the final, and I reckon he hadn’t done a lot of goalkicking practice.
“Now, I assume with a calf injury there’s no goalkicking practice, and in the recovery stage either. History could repeat itself there that Adam Reynolds comes up with a big kick but he hasn’t put the work into the legs. That’s a factor as well.”
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